Busy with infighting, OPS and EPS ignored 5 burning issues in Tamil Nadu
In the endless fighting within the AIADMK, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palanisamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam have forgotten all about governance — sending Tamil Nadu on a downward spiral.
Satisfied with CM EPS agreeing to his conditions, OPS graciously accepted the offer to become deputy CM. But how relevant were his conditions in view of the prevailing condition of the state? OPS is way more concerned with having a judicial probe into Jayalalithaa's death and separating Sasikala's family from the party.
But there are more relevant issues plaguing the state and its people that the AIADMK hardly seems to notice.
1. Local body elections
Though Jayalalithaa allegedly gave her consent for the candidates for the local body election with her thumb impression (instead of a signature), DMK approached the Madras High Court as it observed various discrepancies in the way the state election commission went ahead with the announcement of the poll dates. THe court agreed with the DMK and, since then, the local body elections have been stalled.
Now the state election commission has explained that it would require six months to prepare for the local body elections.
Ground reports suggest that if a local body elections are conducted today, DMK will manage a monumental win and, so, political pressure is the reason behind stalling the polls. But since the elections have not been conducted, various public welfare schemes are facing dangerous backlogs.
Without representatives, the files to clear funds for periodic maintenance of sewers and drainage systems, the installation of electric lamps, et al are stuck in a bureaucratic limbo. The stalling of polls led to a fund crunch in the maintenance of Amma canteens — Jayalalithaa's dream project.
2. The NEET blow
Since 2014, Jayalalithaa was able to acquire exemption from NEET for Tamil Nadu students with written communication alone. Things haven't been the same after her death. In 2017, NEET was conducted in Tamil Nadu, but even those students who who passed the state boards with merit wrote the exam under stress and shock.
The main reason for their shock was that the question paper was supposedly based on the CBSE syllabus, considered tough for a student who is accustomed to the state board syllabus.
The NEET, in general, exposed the stark difference between the two education systems. Tamil Nadu government, under CM EPS, gave its word to the students that medical counselling would happen without NEET's intervention.
Unfortunately for the state's students, his words didn't come true as even after multiple letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and multiple visits by health minister Vijayabhaskar, the court upheld that students should be gievn seats based on NEET results alone.
The state government tried to explain that it couldn't do anything against the court's order, but the inefficiency and procrastination of state officials due to the infighting in AIADMK is considered the reason why students had to suffer.
3. No advisory on dengue and other health threats
The EPS government continues to reel under pressure as the state health department doesn't have exact reports about the spread of dengue, the number of deaths and counter measures.
Even before the government could come up with a number, news about the death of the children due to various symptoms began to cause panic among the people. Shockingly, many such deaths were blamed on a "mysterious fever" with no reports to confirm it.
The state health minister time and again confirmed that the spread of dengue is under control contradicting ground reports from the government.
It is routine to hear of deaths due to dengue, swine flu and "mysterious fever"!
5. ONGC protest
Soon after EPS took charge as CM, two major protests broke in the Cauvery delta belt at Pudukkotai district's Neduvasal and Thanjavur district's Kathiramangalam.
The first against the Centre's alleged nod to fracking at Neduvasal and the latter over the leakage of an ONGC pipeline. After documents revealed that the petroleum ministry had given its nod for fracking, an agitation ensued. At Kathiramangalam, protests went on for days, but the state government did not take appropriate action.
The situation went out of control when videos of a crude oil leak at Kathiramangalam emerged, turning the entire village into a war zone.
Later in the day, the police later resorted to lathicharge, injuring many. Chief minister EPS couldn't give a clear explanation to the Assembly when the Opposition, DMK raised a question in this regard.
However, several activists were arrested under the Goondas Act, leading to a greater stir.
5. Interstate water disputes
This is one problem that has been plaguing Tamil Nadu for decades. Though former CMs Karunanidhi, MGR and Jayalalithaa were able to get interim relief in water disputes with neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka, the same can hardly be expected from EPS.
The Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala is a thorn pricking the CM's crown and sharing Cauvery water a persistent headache.
Though Jayalalithaa was able to win the former issue by denying Kerala the right to construct a dam within Tamil Nadu's territory, the Cauvery water crisis has always been far from resolution. Now, with Karnataka planning to build a dam at Megadhadhu, delta farmers on the Tamil Nadu side are much worried and want chief minister EPS to react immediately.
There has been no effective response from the CM till now.
In the midst of unrelenting crises, EPS and OPS seem to be spending resources in holding the government together and appeasing their MLAs, showing no concern for governance.