Southern States
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Tamil Nadu
Jayalalithaa weighing issues
By Suresh Nambath
CHENNAI, DEC. 5. Although the AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalithaa, is weighing various factors before deciding to formally stake her claim to chief ministership, partymen and also a large section of the officialdom want her back at the helm of the Government.
Apart from the fact that she enjoys their support, those in the party and the Government find the present situation of a `remote-controlled' Chief Minister untenable.
However, Ms. Jayalalithaa does not seem to be in a hurry. Apparently, she does not want a situation in which her appointment would again become a matter of legal dispute. As the Andipatti Assembly by-election is only a couple of months away, the wait will not be too long.
An indication of her line of reasoning came when the Chief Minister, Mr. O. Paneerselvam, announced a partial rollback of the hikes in the prices for essential services and commodities. Originally, Ms. Jayalalithaa was expected to make the announcement, as her first decision after assuming office again.
Moreover, by pushing hard her claim for chief ministership now, Ms. Jayalalithaa would be left in an embarrassing situation if the Governor, Dr. C. Rangarajan, refers the matter to legal experts.
But the `untenability' problem is really serious for officials, many of whom faced difficulties in dealing with a de jure Chief Minister in Mr. Paneerselvam and a de facto Chief Minister in Ms. Jayalalithaa.
For those in the Chief Minister's Office, the difficulties were compounded as they were the nerve-centre of the decision-making process. In several ways, Poes Garden, residence of Ms. Jayalalithaa, continued to be the power centre.
Many officials were also uncomfortable about having to visit Poes Garden once in a while. The only consolation was that they were accompanying ministers who were calling on Ms. Jayalalithaa.
Once Ms. Jayalalithaa becomes Chief Minister again, officials would avoid such awkward situations. They would not have to bother about obtaining clearance from levels ``higher than'' that of the Chief Minister.
The partymen, of course, believe that the Paneerselvam tenure was nothing more than an aberration. The sooner the tenure is ended, the better, they say.
Most partymen recognise a marked change in Ms. Jayalalithaa. They see more warmth in her beaming smiles now. And, they know that she would now be able to devote more time to party affairs without having to worry about personal legal battles.
Of course, in some ways, Mr. Paneerselvam himself would feel relieved to hand over the office to Ms. Jayalalithaa. Unlike other ministers, who invariably attended all public functions of Ms. Jayalalithaa, he had to remain at the backstage. In any case, senior ministers such as Mr. C. Ponnaiyan ran the show at the Secretariat, and he was merely the front for the Government.
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