Violation of a promise, federalism

The central government has violated a solemn commitment it had made to the states on compensation for their loss of revenue during the transition to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. It had promised to make up the shortfall in states revenues by the introduction of the GST for five years. It created a fund for it by imposing a cess on sin goods like tobacco. But it has now sought to wriggle out of its promise with a creative and opportunistic interpretation of the commitment.