When Delhi patiently waited for Sasikala to implode -Governance Now

When Delhi patiently waited for Sasikala to implode

Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao’s decision not to immediately call Sasikala to form the government has been vindicated

Rahul Dass | February 14, 2017 | New Delhi

#Sasikala #Panneerselvam #Jayalalithaa #Tamil Nadu #chief minister #supreme court

A supreme court verdict on Tuesday put paid to Sasikala Natarajan’s dream of becoming the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, and practically cleared the way for caretaker chief minister O Panneerselvam to continue to govern the state.

The apex court found Sasikala, an aide of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, guilty in a two-decade-old corruption case. She will have to spend four years in jail and has to pay a fine of Rs 10 crore in the disproportionate assets case. She has to surrender immediately.

The judgment bars 61-year-old Sasikala from holding a public office and contesting elections for 10 years. This is like a shot in the arm for Panneerselvam who has been fighting a bitter and increasingly acrimonious battle with Sasikala.

The days of political uncertainty following Jayalalithaa’s death on December 5 coupled with Panneerselvam’s resignation as chief minister on February 5 had kept the state on tenterhooks.

For days, all eyes were on governor C Vidyasagar Rao who did not promptly call Sasikala to form the government. He was criticized of doing the centre’s bidding in not giving Sasikala a decent change at the top job.

There was also an accusation that the BJP was helping Panneerselvam and the centre was involved in the Tamil Nadu flux.

But, Rao now stands vindicated.

What Panneerselvam does next is important. For a politician who has always lived in the shadow of the towering Jayalalithaa, this could well be his time to prove his mettle. He needs to find his own footing, and not trip in race to be the chief minister.

He has been gradually getting support from the AIADMK leaders, with some of the MPs openly favouring him. The party cadre too is inclined towards him.

Early Tuesday, hours before the supreme court verdict, AIADMK MLA SS Saravanan dramatically escaped from the luxury resort where he was staying along with about 100 lawmakers. He turned up the residence of Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, and expressed his support.

Saravanan could not have timed it better and perhaps opened the floodgates of support for OPS. He knows even a worm will turn.

Comments

Other News

Astonishing breadth and depth of ancient Indian knowledge systems

The Greatest Books of Ancient India: Incredible Ideas about Science, Music, Maths, Art and More By Dr. Pradeep Chakravarthy and Dr. R. Thiagarajan Hachette India, 208 pages, Rs 399

Strong El Nino threat over India`s monsoon, food & water security

India is heading into the southwest monsoon season this year under the shadow of a rapidly strengthening El Nino, with meteorologists warning that the climate phenomenon could significantly disrupt rainfall patterns, intensify heat stress and place additional pressure on the country’s agriculture-d

How corporates can nudge real change

The Business Of Business Is (Not) Just Business: How Behavioural Tools Can Drive Real Change Edited by Sutapa Banerjee, with Foreword by Nadir Godrej HarperCollins, 336 pages, Rs 699

India stopped jailing people for paperwork. Now comes the hard part

A small pharmacist in Rajkot neglects to change a notice in his store under a little-known clause of a public health law. This was not only a non-compliance matter, but also a criminal offence, and a jail sentence was the punishment under the old system. Not a fine. Not a warning. Jail. Now scale

How to make our cities climate-resilient

Indian cities are growing at a pace that our infrastructure and climate can no longer sustain. This rapid urban sprawl increasingly strains urban systems, overshadowing the severe environmental fallout produced in its wake. The repercussions include Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI), Urban Floods, and many mo

Trump’s China setback pushes US to woo India

A week after Donald Trump’s visit to China – the first by an American president in nine years, US secretary of state Marco Rubio arrived in India on May 23 on a four-day visit aimed at resetting Washington DC’s relations with New Delhi and attending the third Quad ministerial meeting.