Ever since an audio clip purportedly attributed to Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan leaked last month, Fort St. George was keen to know what would befall him. In the clip, the person is heard being highly critical of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s family members.
Mr. Rajan sought to clarify that the tape was fabricated and it looked like he would survive the episode. But his continuation in the Cabinet become a subject of intense speculation after a second tape emerged in which a voice resembling Mr. Rajan’s was heard being critical of the DMK party structure.
Instead of dropping him from the Cabinet, Mr. Stalin effected a reshuffle of portfolios and Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu was made Finance Minister. With this move, Mr. Stalin conveyed the clear message that he will not tolerate anyone who is believed to be shooting his mouth off and damaging the image of the party and the government, but there will always be a space for talent. The Chief Minister decided to dismiss Milk and Dairy Development Minister Avadi S.M. Nasar whose behaviour in public had once caused embarrassment and whose improper handling of Aavin milk production and distribution had attracted criticism.
Though a Cabinet reshuffle was on the cards, what delayed it was the search for a suitable alternative to Mr. Rajan. The former Finance Minister, who has now been given the Information Technology and Digital Services portfolio, is an articulate, competent professional, who attracted national attention as a voice of an alternative ideology to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Finally, Mr. Thennarasu, another talented Minister in the Cabinet who is known for his in-depth understanding of an array of subjects, was chosen for the job. Mr. Thennarasu, who is comfortable with handling Industries as well as Tamil Culture and Archaeology — two subjects close to his heart — had reservations about taking over the Ministry of Finance from Mr. Rajan. After days of persuasion, Mr. Stalin succeeded in prevailing upon him to accept the key portfolio.
What followed subsequently was more important: T. Udhayachandran, Secretary 1 to the Chief Minister, was shifted to the Finance Department as Principal Secretary. Considered a powerful IAS officer who has the ears of Mr. Stalin, Mr. Udhayachandran is said to have been looking for a transfer for some time. He has been replaced by N. Muruganandhan, who was Principal Secretary of the Finance Department.
While Mr. Rajan and Mr. Udhayachandran are considered to be boons to the administration, they have both been criticised by ruling party functionaries and officials for acting as “gatekeepers” of the government. Ministers, their personal assistants, and officials who wanted them both to go but were not certain of such a possibility, are relieved now. By making these changes, the Chief Minister also appears to have made the party functionaries happy.
Contrary to the perception that he would quit in the wake of being divested of the Finance portfolio, Mr. Rajan gracefully accepted the change and tweeted that he was grateful to Mr. Stalin who had assigned him the portfolio of Information Technology — globally the main industry for investment and job-creation today. He is expected to prove his mettle in the new job.
However, the issues raised by Mr. Rajan after assuming office as Finance Minister in May 2021 cannot be ignored by anyone in the government. He had told The Hindu then, “I am going to find out where all these leakages are happening and fix it. Once we discover what the average income was as a percentage of GSDP from commercial tax, excise, mining, registration, stamps and different heads, the figures will be given to those departments as targets. They will be given as revenue targets to different Ministries. When was the last time this was done in Tamil Nadu?”
While many speculated about whether the Council of Ministers would be overhauled, significant changes have taken place. The victory of the Congress in the Karnataka Assembly elections has come as a shot in the arm for Mr. Stalin, who, as DMK president, is under compulsion to keep together the alliance in Tamil Nadu and knit a broader national coalition for the Lok Sabha elections next year. He cannot afford to let his engagement with electoral politics affect governance in the State. Hopefully, the recent reshuffle will help Mr. Stalin maintain that balance.
