After former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha was disqualified and removed from the post following the special court in Bangalore verdict in the disproportionate assets case against her on September 27 last year, O. Panneerselvam was sworn-in as the Chief Minister and his Cabinet Ministers were also sworn-in by the Governor.
But Panneerselvam stubbornly refuses to occupy the cabin of the Chief Minister and continues remain in the Finance Minister room and his name board also does not mention him as Chief Minister. Similarly the name board at his residence also referred him as ‘Finance Minster’ only.
So far in the last three months since he assumed office as Chief Minister, Panneerselvam has not attended any public or private functions in that capacity. However, now and then some letters to the Prime Minister were sent in his name as Chief Minister. But even announcements of the government made by him as Chief Minister were published in the ADMK official daily ‘Namathu MGR’ with the photograph of Jayalalitha.
The dailies in Tamil Nadu and people noted that the customary greetings issued by the Chief Minister on the occasions of festivals Deepavali, Christmas and New Year day from October were not issued by the present incumbent Panneerselvam. Some apologists of the regime argued that the Chief Minister’s greetings were not issued for the festivals of either Hindus or other religions, suggesting as if it was a secular stand.
But Panneerselvam issued greetings for Ayutha Puja, incidentally when Jayalalitha was an inmate of the prison in Parappana Agrahara Central prison in Bangalore, following the conviction and sentence in the assets case. But after her release on bail, return to Chennai and staying at her Poes Garden residence, the Chief Minister’s greetings on the occasion on these three festivals were not forthcoming.
However, when the same Panneerselvam served in the same capacity of Chief Minister, following Jayalalitha’s swearing-in in May 2001 was voided by the Supreme Court September 2001 to March 2002 when she was again sworn-in, he had issued greetings on these occasions of festivals.
Not only that the Chief Minister has not used the customary greetings to people on the occasions of such festivals. Neither he nor any of the Ministers, ruling party MLAs and MPs participate in any functions of the government as well as private bodies as if they were all grieving over the tragedy that has befallen their leader! They are all fully engaged and engrossed in offering prayers in temples and conducting yagnas seeking the grace of gods for the release of their Amma. (These prayers in temples are the leading news for the news channel of Jaya TV and their official daily ‘Namathu MGR’).
For the large number of citizens of Salem district and tourists from across the State who thronged the hill station of Yercaud in connection with the three-day second spell of the Winter Flower Festival, the inaugural of the much-publicized event on Jan 3 proved a rare spectacle. Though the inaugural was marked by pomp and splendour, it was the total absence of the elected representatives of the ruling party of the district for such an important programme which raised the eyebrows of officials and the people alike. The Minister hailing from the district and the MPs and MLAs (of the ruling party) were not present at the inaugural. The irony was that Saroja, Yercaud MLA, who was elected in the by-election, too was conspicuously absent.
Collector K. Maharabooshanam inaugurated the flower show in the presence of R. Sakthivel, Superintendent of Police and other senior officials. There was no official function and as such no speeches and no adorning of dignitaries with shawls, which are activities which usually mark government programmes.
Leave alone festivals and functions. Even the basic humanitarian acts of issuing condolence messages over tragic deaths of persons in the State and Ministers and ruling party MLAs and MPs visiting the residences of such persons and consoling relatives are not being carried out.
Breaking their silence, the family members of B Bhavani, the Chennai woman who was killed in the Bengaluru blast, on Dec 31 said they feel neglected by the Tamil Nadu government as it did not even have the courtesy to console the grieving relatives and condole the tragic loss of life. They pointed out the stark contrast in the way the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu handled the aftermath of the blast. Soon after the explosion on Church Street, a woman Superintendent of Police was assigned to look after the 20-odd family members. Bhavani’s nephew R P Murugesan quoted the officer as telling the family, “This is news for everyone, but this is beyond that as you have lost a member of your family“.
“Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met us and sanctioned Rs 5 lakh compensation. State Home Minister and five other Ministers also spoke to us and told us not to lose hope. They arranged vehicles to bring 50 of family members from Bengaluru to Chennai along with my aunt’s body .The drivers were instructed not to stop mid-way and the police personnel accompanied the body till our home in Border Thottam“, he said.
“We expected the Tamil Nadu government to send a representative to pay homage to the departed soul. It was not a road accident or a natural calamity that claimed her life. She died in a terror strike. It was an attack on the nation“, said Murugesan, who runs a metal scrap business in Bengaluru.
Suresh Kumar, another relative, pointed out that after the Moulivakkam building collapse, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu visited the site in Chennai and consoled the grieving families from his State, he said. But even such humanitarian attitude was not shown by this insensitive regime.
So, the question arises whether Chief Minister Panneerselvam is circumspect or being circumscribed by forces from outside?
As if to provide the reason for this obvious situation, it was widely reported in the media that on January 2, Chief Secretary K. Gnanadesikan, Home Secretary Apoorva Varma, Advisor to the Chief Secretary Sheela Balakrishnan and Advisor to the DGP Ramanujam met her at her Poes Garden residence and discussed for one and half an hour from 12.30 p.m. This meeting was said to be following the meeting of Panneerselvam and some Ministers with her on the previous day.
Panneerselvam did not fight moral, legal or political compunction in admitting in the State Assembly that his government is being guided by the corruption case convict Jayalalitha.
So far Panneerselvam was called as ‘benami’ Chief Minister and his government as ‘benami’ regime. Even caretaker governments during the interregnum period after the results of any elections were declared and new Ministries were to be sworn-in, had some residuary discretionary powers, say at least to issue a condolence message or grant solatium. But the duly constituted government led by Panneerselvam is obviously circumscribed by forces from outside. So, this is only a puppet show regime! 11 January 2015
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