Sir, legatees as we are, of a system of administration which was not credited in the past with having dealt fairly and squarely with the Provinces in the matter of financial adjustments, I feel today that in our anxiety to strengthen the Centre we may be adopting again the same policy of strengthening the Centre at the cost of the Provinces. Strengthen the Centre we must, confronted as we are with a situation which is volcanic on one hand and dynamic on the other. But we should not weaken the Provinces. After all it is the Provinces which have to carry out the dynamic programme of the Congress. The financial settlement which was the outcome of this anxiety to strengthen the Centre, to bring about financial stability at the Centre only, with the Units starving for funds to carry out the nation-building programme still holds good today and I do not find any change of outlook The same policy of strengthening the Centre at the cost of the Provinces still holds good today.
