Tamil Nadu's new two-adviser structure tests power dynamics with Chief Secretary

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government's decision to appoint two advisers to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay while retaining Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar has sparked divergent assessments within Tamil Nadu's bureaucratic establishment about how power and administrative authority are being exercised.

The arrangement places Vishnu Reddy and John Arockiasamy as advisers to the Chief Minister, appointed in May, working alongside the Chief Secretary in what officials describe as an administrative "co-habitation" experiment. One adviser handles political affairs while the other manages public events and general matters, with both examining policy decisions from the perspective of political implications.

A History Marked by Friction

Tamil Nadu has experimented with such arrangements since 1989, beginning with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime, but the state's track record reveals persistent tension between advisers and Chief Secretaries. The very first appointment, former Finance Secretary S. Guhan, who had worked with the Willy Brandt Commission, was made adviser to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in late January 1989 and served until June 1990, when he was moved to the State Planning Commission. Contemporaneous talk suggested his relationship with then Chief Secretary M.M. Rajendran was strained.

In May 1998, outgoing Chief Secretary K.A. Nambiar was offered the adviser post but declined to take it up. The most significant precedent came during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government under Jayalalithaa and her successor O. Panneerselvam, when former Chief Secretary Sheela Balakrishnan served as adviser for nearly three years, from March 2014 to February 2017. Many officials felt at the time that she had overshadowed the Chief Secretaries of that period, such was her perceived power. Her influence was underscored in September 2014, when Jayalalithaa was convicted in a disproportionate assets case and Balakrishnan's name circulated as a possible successor. More recently, former Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam held the adviser post from February to April 2021.

Structural Limitations and Current Skepticism

Under the government's rules of business, files do not pass through advisers, a structural limitation that formally circumscribes their administrative reach. Against this historical backdrop, the appointment of Reddy and Arockiasamy evoked skepticism in certain circles about whether the arrangement would function smoothly. The Chief Minister also works with a team of four IAS officers, one of whom brings more than 30 years of experience to the role.

Two Competing Narratives

One faction within the bureaucracy maintains there is "absolutely no issue" with the current setup, arguing that the demarcation of functions is "so clear" that no conflict can arise. These officials explain that the advisers serve the Chief Minister directly, examining policy matters for their political dimensions, while Secretaries take instructions from their respective Ministers and the Chief Secretary.

A contrasting view holds that Dr. Sai Kumar is "in full control" of the administration and occasionally conveys that he is the boss, thereby diminishing the perceived importance of the advisers. During the recent Budget Session of the Assembly, his grip was considered so firm that some Ministers were not informed in advance of statements the Chief Minister made in the House under Rule 110.

Media Reports and Official Pushback

Sections of the media have reported that the TVK-led regime is "peeved" with the Chief Secretary over the Navodaya school row. However, another group of officials dismisses these reports, asserting that the Chief Secretary enjoys the "utmost confidence" of Vijay, which enables him to assert his position.

The conflicting assessments within Tamil Nadu's bureaucracy reflect an ongoing test of whether the current administrative model can avoid the pitfalls that have plagued similar experiments over the past three decades.

Source: The Hindu