Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader MK Stalin on Wednesday said he had written to the chief ministers of nine non-Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states and one Union Territory about the Centre’s “unilateral decision” that could affect their financial autonomy. Stalin said he had written to the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal about the Terms of Reference in the 15th Finance Commission.

Stalin said the BJP-led central government had unilaterally decided to change the base census for its policy-making decisions from 1971 to 2011. The Opposition leader alleged that this decision will negatively affect their administrations, which were relatively successful in controlling their population, as the government allocates funds based on the population of each state.

In his letter, Stalin said that the nine states and one Union Territory were relatively successful in controlling their population and that the Centre’s new clause would put them at a disadvantage. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader warned the chief ministers that their fiscal autonomy could be reduced to the level of municipalities if they did not unite to demand a modification of the “undemocratic Terms of Reference”.