The buzz is all about the “sovereignty” statement by Sonia Gandhi in a recent Tweet and purportedly in her speech as well. Now, a political controversy has erupted in Karnataka over this matter.
The controversy began when the Congress party, referring to Sonia Gandhi’s poll speech, tweeted that the party would not allow anyone to “pose a threat to Karnataka’s reputation, sovereignty or integrity”.
https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/1654882853744787456
According to various sources however, Sonia Gandhi did not mention the word ‘sovereignty’ in her speech. It is now claimed that the word was used only in the Tweet.
The BJP has argued that the Congress wants to “separate” Karnataka from India and has moved the Election Commission against Congress and its former President Sonia Gandhi. The party has demanded that Sonia be held accountable and that the Congress party loses its official recognition.
This battle over a word has raised questions about the relationship between states and the Government in India. India is a Sovereign Country with a Federal System of Government, where powers are divided between the Central Government and the states.
We all know that India is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic as we memorised in our school days. It is important to note that this debate is within the context of India’s Federal system of Government and does not imply that Karnataka is a separate Sovereign State within India.
So in short, No, Karnataka cannot be a Sovereign State while being a part of India. India is a Sovereign Country and all states within India are not sovereign.
In political science, the word “state” is often used to mean a “country”. Perhaps the team behind the Tweet tried to sound cool and used the word “Sovereignty” after reading the word associated with “State”. Such are the times when it is best not to assume meanings of words and Google them for better clarity.