Despite of so many years passed of establishment of Inter-state Council, it remains an underutilized and ignored constitutional body. Discuss critically.

Till 1967, most states in India were under rule of a common party {Congress} and it was easier to resolve inter-state disputes. After 1967, other parties or coalitions than the one running at centre or neighbouring states started ruling. These governments with different opinions and political visions were unable to solve the disputes in inter-state problems. Setting up of this council was based on Sarkaria Commission recommendations. It was set up in 1990 but not a single meeting was held for long time. It was only during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government tenure when the council was revived and meetings happened almost every year. However, even today, the Inter-state Council has been largely under-utilized and ignored.

Topics: GS-II: Constitutional Statutory Regulatory and Quasi Judicial Bodies