The Big Story: Forward movement
As Tamil Nadu prepares for its third chief minister in as many months, most of the conversation has focused on the metoric rise of VK Sasikala – who thus far has only been known to the public as a close aide of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Sasikala, also known as Chinamma or Little Mother, had never held public office nor faced an election until Jayalalithaa’s death in December, when she won a perfunctory contest to become general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. On Sunday, she won another no-contest poll, as the AIADMK elected her the leader of the Legislature Party, paving the way for Sasikala to become Tamil Nadu’s chief minister.
The challenges to her assuming office are obvious. The Supreme Court is expected to soon deliver a judgment in a corruption case that named both Jayalalithaa and Sasikala as accused. The two were convicted by a trial court in 2014, but the verdict was overturned in the Karnataka High Court the next year, albeit in a judgment that had several legal holes. If the Supreme Court decides to reverse that acquittal, Chinamma would have to give up her new post.
The other, less significant challenge is being elected to the state legislature, which she must do within six months. The AIADMK and its mythmaking machine can be counted on to ensure that nothing goes awry with Sasikala’s first election. But it will be a small test of Sasikala’s relative popularity and give the Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam an opportunity to take on the new power centre in the AIADMK.
But neither of these should be Sasikala’s main concern when she is sworn in later this week. Jayalalithaa managed to brush off corruption charges and election concerns while creating a welfare state that was tremendously successful, if prone to private takeover in her later terms. Indeed, the public at large tends to see Sasikala and her family as the reason Jayalalithaa was dogged by corruption charges in the first place.
Tamil Nadu’s challenges, however, go far beyond Sasikala’s legal woes. The state’s development indicators have either plateaued or are slipping. Its administration is confronted by structural problems that do not lend themselves to quick fixes. Changes to the land and political structures have resulted in high levels of migration, which is adding stress to some regions of the state. The anxieties about identity sparked by this process erupted into last month’s jallikattu protests, and could manifest themselves in other agitations too. The state’s water difficulties are the most obvious indicator of how corruption and apathy have allowed groundwater extraction and sand mining to destroy the environment. Solving these requires the ability to make some tough decisions.
Jayalalithaa was often able to do that because she methodically entrenched her position as the only power centre in the AIADMK, and as a result, in the state. She cracked down on any signs of dissent as she positioned herself as Amma – Mother. Chinamma doesn’t have that privilege and attempting to build a similar position could easily backfire, considering her tarnished public image. But even though Sasikala’s corruption charges are deeply troubling, Tamil Nadu’s voters have shown time and again that they will not be unsettled by this if the welfare state is also delivering on its promises. The Supreme Court’s decision could have huge implications for Chinamma but the bigger concern for the state is whether the new chief minister will be able to stop Tamil Nadu’s development drift.
The Big Scroll
- Sasikala’s elevation as chief minister fits well into the culture of sycophancy in Tamil Nadu, writes Sruthisagar Yamunan.
- M Rajshekhar explains the massive challenges that the new chief minister faces in the state.
- Two months after Jayalalithaa’s death, “Chinamma” Sasikala makes her move.
Punditry
- Krishna Kumar in the Indian Express writes that it is unfortunate that the CBSE decided to reverse a decision getting rid of the compulsory Class X board exam.
- R Sukumar, in Mint, offers up a reminder of how tinkering with America’s H1B visa will not just affect governments and companies, it affects lives too.
- Even after a thorough job of removing the beached oil, talking about a return to normal for Chennai’s coastline is problematic, writes Nityanand Jayaraman in The Hindu.
- Manini Chatterjee in the Telegraph says the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh, and the way that the Congress is publicising it, suggests a substantial rethink in the party’s approach to partners.
Don’t miss
Deepanjan Ghosh introduces you to the invisible cemeteries of Kolkata, and tells you where to find them.
“If you look at old maps of Calcutta, you will find much that has changed. Many roads aren’t how they used to be, buildings have vanished, ponds have been filled up, and what used to be open fields have become apartment blocks. (Also, the city is now known as Kolkata). But one thing, in particular, makes me very curious: cemeteries that seem to have vanished. Either they are in the old maps and not in the new ones, or I find graves and tombs in all kinds of odd places in the city. Either people don’t know, or they don’t notice the tombs. These are the invisible cemeteries of Calcutta, hiding in plain sight. How many such cemeteries are there? You’d be surprised to know.”
