After a fortnight long political turmoil which saw the resignation and rebellion of a Chief Minister, conviction and sentencing of a Chief Minister-designate, election and swearing-in of another leader as Chief Minister and a tumultuous floor test in the legislative Assembly where the MlAs came to almost blows, life has become normal in Tamil Nadu.
Monday saw Edappadi Palaniswamy beginning his innings as the 13th Chief Minister of the State by taking charge at Fort Saint George (Tamil Nadu’s Secretariat at Chennai) by signing five Government orders, all promises made in the manifesto of the AIADMK during the May 2016 Assembly election.
The first office order signed by the Chief Minister was the closure of 500 liquor outlets owned by the public sector TASMAC. This is in addition to the 500 liquor outlets closed down by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in May 2016. Jayalalithaa who had lead the AIADMK in the 2016 Assembly election had assured the people that she would bring in total prohibition in a phased manner.
The second order issued by Palaniswamy on Monday was the granting of 50 per cent subsidy or Rs 20,000 to working women for buying two-wheelers under the Amma Two-Wheeler Scheme . In another women- centric order, the chief minister increased the financial assistance for pregnant women from the present Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000. The financial support for pregnant women was an initiative by late Jayalalithaa.
The Tamil Nadu government also launched an ambitious housing scheme meant for fishermen. The new scheme envisages construction of 5,000 independent houses for fisherfolk at a cost of Rs 85 crore. The dole for the unemployed in the State has been doubled with immediate effect. This will benefit 55, 228 unemployed youths in the State. The monthly pocket money for unemployed post graduate youths will jump from Rs 300 to Rs 600.
In a Kabaali like statement, the Chief Minister said, “This is Amma’s Government”. He told reporters that late Jayalalithaa had fulfilled 11 poll promises during her tenure as Chief Minister and the rest were being implemented one by one.
But the battle for control of the AIADMK has gained momentum with many of the party MlAs who are in the Palaniswamy camp getting either cold or lukewarm response from their respective constituencies. “This is a benami government. Soon, we will forma a true Amma government. In spite of keeping the MlAs chained for more than a week, the Palaniswamy government could scrape through with just five votes,” said S Semmalai, founder leader of the AIADMK. He pointed out that in a House of 234, the Palaniswamy faction could mobilise just 117 MlAs. “If the Opposition brings in a no confidence motion, this government will definitely fall,” said Semmalali.