Time is ripe for Panneerselvam to emerge out of Jayalalithaa's shadow
In his earlier two stints as Tamil Nadu chief minister, O Panneerselvam had earned the sobriquet of "night watchman". A reluctant chief minister, who was only performing a holding-up job.
In fact, it was only in May 2015, when he stepped aside for the return of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa after her acquittal in the disproportionate assets case, that Panneerselvam's voice was heard for the first time.
He told me at the AIADMK headquarters that he "was very relieved''.
History will remember Panneerselvam as the first chief minister who cried when he was sworn in and was visibly happy when he relinquished his job.
Everyday before going to his office, he would prostrate before Amma's office and would fold hands before Jaya's portrait before taking any decision as well.
The 75 days since September 22 when Jayalalithaa was hospitalised too saw the Tamil Nadu government on autopilot mode, with no major decisions being taken.
Jayalalithaa's demise has, however, changed Tamil Nadu's political scenario. Cyclone Vardah hitting the state's north districts within a week of Panneerselvam taking on the top job for the third time, meant the buck stopped at his table this time.
The challenge was to hit the ground running and show that he was not going to run a lameduck administration.
The jury is out on how effective OPS has been in this endeavour. To his advantage, the expectations were low.
No one thought OPS would do anything. Chennai was in Ram bharose mode.
What also helped was the fact that last December saw the worst form of governance when Chennai, Kancheerpuram and Cuddalore went under water. The AIADMK dispensation with Jayalalithaa at the helm of affairs did precious little when the rains were pounding Chennai, with no ruling party representative visible on the streets.
To make matters worse, it released water from the swollen Chembarabakkam reservoir without making efforts to evacuate people in the low-lying areas. Over 500 people died in the disaster with thousands of vehicles reduced to scrap.
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| Soon after Cyclone Vardah crossed Tamil Nadu, OPS shot off a letter to the Prime Minister demanding Rs 1,000 crore as immediate relief. (Photo: PTI) |
Even in the run-up to the downpour, it had not desilted the drains, reducing Chennai to a sitting duck when disaster struck on December 1.
Anything better than December 2015 would work for him, OPS would have thought. To his credit, he pressed the right buttons before December 12 when the cyclone was to strike.
He ensured the AIADMK government shed its familiar opaque curtain. The Disaster Management Authority, AIADMK's IT wing, the public relations department, the police used different forms of social media to communicate with those affected.
OPS himself visited relief shelters to get a first hand impression of the situation and that conveyed the impression of the top man getting his hands dirty on the field.
Unlike 2015, when all the AIADMK cadre did was to allegedly stop private vehicles containing relief material and paste stickers of Jayalalithaa on packets containing medicines, food, water, etc.
Soon after Cyclone Vardah crossed Tamil Nadu, OPS shot off a letter to the Prime Minister demanding Rs 1,000 crore as immediate relief, pointing out that 12,000 trees had been lost and the electricity department had reported huge losses, with its lines collapsing. Even now, power has not been fully restored in many parts of the city and adjoining districts.
The telecom network has been badly affected as well. The collapse of the communications system has had a collateral effect on ATMs and credit and debit card transactions. At a time when people do not have enough cash in their wallets and digital transactions hampered, Chennai is going through tough times.
It is here that OPS has not been able to pull his weight. His template ought to have been Vizag post-Cyclone Hudhud in October 2014. Most cell towers were flattened by the fury of the cyclone then and an angry Chandrababu Naidu had summoned the top honchos of telecom companies and read out the riot act to them.
He forced them to ensure that the communication network was up and running within a week. OPS should crack the whip as well.
OPS, under whose watch, the final rites of Jayalalithaa were performed without any breakdown of law and order, as feared, needs to realise that he is his own man.
Indeed, politically it is true that his high command has not disappeared but only been replaced - from Jayalalithaa to Sasikala. But then Chinnamma, as Sasikala is called, is no Amma.
OPS has everything to gain by showing imagination in his leadership skills and reaching out to bureaucrats who can help him be an effective administrator.
With Sasikala set to take over as general secretary of the AIADMK soon, it is obvious that Tamil Nadu will now see dual power centres. If OPS is able to deliver the goods as an effective chief minister, he needs to realise that it will only add to his stature and help him politically. One stone, two birds.