Vijay’s first week as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, like his movies, had its own share of twists and turns. From revoking the appointment of his astrologer as officer on special duty (OSD), allegations of “reel culture”, to withdrawal of a tender within hours, the first glimpse of Vijay the CM has been high on drama and chaotic. Call it sheer inexperience or buckling under pressure from allies, the crutches of which the TVK depends on to run the government, it has been baptism by fire for Vijay, who came to power on the back of bold promises on governance.

In fact, Vijay got a taste of realpolitik barely a day after he took charge. A massive political row erupted after he appointed his astrologer, Radhan Pandit, as his officer on special duty. It was something neither he nor his astrologer would have predicted. His first move as CM triggered such a storm that Vijay was forced to revoke it within a day. It even faced criticism during the TVK’s floor test and from its own allies, Congress, VCK and the Left.

Now, astrologers and politicians, especially in the south, have always had a close connection. Former Tamil Nadu chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa were big on astrology. But Vijay ventured where no one dared – appointing one’s personal astrologer as OSD. It drew allegations of Vijay “legitimising” superstition using taxpayers’ money.

Along with criticism, the opposition and political experts also questioned the political wisdom of the first-time politician. However, Vijay’s quick decision to revoke the appointment also showed his courage to bow down to public criticism – a trait rarely seen in today’s political landscape. Nevertheless, it was bad optics to begin with for the superstar.

However, it was a government tender for a water tank in Kancheepuram that proved to be Vijay’s biggest controversy so far. The tender itself was not the issue, but the unviable six-hour deadline for contractors to make submissions.

The unusual timeline invited sharp criticism from the DMK, which alleged that the process was tailored to benefit a certain contractor for the project. “This is not administrative speed… this is pre-planned contract politics!” senior DMK leader Amutharasan tweeted.

Here, the TVK cannot afford to hide behind the “inexperience” shadow. The tender was issued by the Rural Development Department, which is being handled by Vijay’s close aide and one of his seniormost ministers, Bussy Anand.

Now, Anand is no political greenhorn and has prior legislative experience. He served as an MLA in Puducherry from 2006-2011, representing the Bussy constituency, which earned him his nickname.

The second rollback of a government order by Vijay within a week has raised questions about whether he was buckling under pressure from opposition criticism or if he is eager to please all sides.

Indeed, coalition realities do not give him much wriggle room. The TVK has 107 MLAs in the assembly and depends on the crutches of smaller allies, most of whom who still swear allegiance to the DMK, to run the government. In essence, DMK supremo MK Stalin can pull the strings in the TVK government. We had mentioned this in our previous article.

However, Vijay cannot be seen to let it dictate his governance, which has clearly been the case with his back-to-back rollbacks of orders.

These were not the only bumps Vijay’s government has faced since taking charge.

Soon after taking office, Vijay unveiled a scheme offering 200 units of free electricity to domestic consumers. He had promised this. But what he didn’t promise is the strings that will be attached to it. The government said only households consuming up to 500 units during a two-month billing cycle would be eligible for the scheme.

It was seen as a betrayal by the TVK, with several social media users criticising Vijay for imposing restrictions on the concession.

However, Vijay attempted to cushion himself by pointing to the state’s Rs 10 lakh crore debt burden. “The treasury has been completely emptied, leaving an unbearable burden,” Vijay said last week in a swipe directed towards the previous DMK regime.

We have now reached the halfway mark, or the interval, you may say. In the second half, we will go into the controversy over what detractors have pointed out as the “reel culture” in the TVK.

It drew attention after a video went viral showing Vijay interacting with disability rights groups in the Tamil Nadu Secretariat. Initially, it was alleged that the video was recorded by a government official and uploaded as a reel. Later, the TVK clarified that it was recorded by a disability rights activist with Vijay’s permission.

Nevertheless, the incident triggered a debate on the TVK using official meetings for social media content. Another section, though, called it a sign of accessibility.

“The TVK has continued its media and Instagram strategy in governance from Day 1. Every meeting interaction becomes a reel… MLAs carry their own media team while making bravado statements,” a Tamil Nadu political analyst, CaptSk, tweeted.

The opening week has not been anything but turbulent for CM Vijay. The superstar-turned-chief minister may still enjoy the goodwill of voters and the charisma that built his political rise, but the controversies and quick rollbacks have laid bare Vijay’s challenges. It remains to be seen whether these are merely first-week jitters or signs of a newbie government struggling to balance optics, governance and alliance pressures.

For now, Vijay’s first week as CM has delivered exactly what his films have shown – lots and lots of drama.

Source: India Today