Autonomy, nervousness rises in the majority. Calderoli threatens lawsuits: “Mine is not a reform that splits Italy”

“The limit has been crossed.” Robert Calderoli he loses his temper and announces lawsuits: “If I ever read offensive and slanderous sentences against my job as a minister, sentences like these on the Italy-splitter, then I will be forced to take legal action”. The reference is to the criticisms received by the minister on the proposed law on differentiated autonomy, the Northern League’s workhorse and a provision contested by the opposition, but which also raises many doubts in the majority. In Calderoli’s sights it is not so much the minority as the press critical of the bill presented to the government in recent days. “That’s enough, journalists have a code of ethics to respect, there is a limit to reporting that cannot transcend into offense or lie”.

“Calderoli is tired of reading that he wants to divide Italy. Well, withdraw the differentiated autonomy plan. And what does the Sister of Italy Giorgia Meloni say? Barter equal rights for presidentialism? Meanwhile, the bills are skyrocketing, but they are these are their priorities”, writes the deputy secretary of the Democratic Party on Twitter, Pepe Provenzano. Even the M5s is asking for the measure to be withdrawn. According to Vittoria Baldino, deputy head of the pentastellata group, “instead of threatening lawsuits and inviting the press to self-censorship”, Calderoli “would do better to withdraw that bill and abandon the secessionist projects that his political force has always pursued”.

In recent days, the minister’s decision to deliver the bill on autonomy has been discussed by the council of ministers without first going through the parliament and the state-regions conference. According to Francesco Boccia, responsible for local authorities of the Democratic Party, “to speak of differentiated autonomy without ever saying in advance how many and which resources will be allocated to the south would be yet another mockery of the South”. The deputy from Campania also shares the same opinion Peter DeLuca: “Minister Calderoli instead of attacking the Democratic Party should, in fact, explain to the Italians why he sent the text of the bill on autonomy to the Prime Minister without sending it first to the State-Regions Conference or to the Unified Conference, avoiding any preliminary confrontation with the local authorities concerned. And again: “he should clarify why on the definition of the lep (essential levels of performance ed), despite our amendment proposals in the Budget Law, Parliament has been completely deprived of authority. Even the president of the Calabria Region Roberto Occhiuto (Forza Italia), while showing himself available towards Calderoli, warns: “Yes to differentiated autonomy – but on condition that the obligations envisaged by the constitution are also guaranteed. So it must be done together with the lep and equalization”, said the governor interviewed by La Stampa.

The minister will have to deal not only with the opposition or with the governors of the South who are opposed to autonomy, but also with Giorgia Meloni’s skepticism towards the autonomist project that the League intends to carry forward.