Successor a surprise choice

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

CHENNAI, SEPT. 21. The day-long suspense on whom the mantle will fall in Tamil Nadu ended around 7.15 p.m. when the AIADMK chief, Ms. Jayalalithaa, named the Revenue Minister, Mr. O. Paneerselvam, as her successor. It was a total surprise even to her Cabinet Ministers and partymen. Mr. Paneerselvam himself looked shell-shocked.

An agriculturist by profession and first-time MLA, elected from the Periyakulam constituency, Mr. Paneerselvam was earlier a municipal chairman and the Theni district secretary of the party. Belonging to the Kallar community, he hails from the constituency represented in Parliament by Mr. T.T.V. Dinakaran, nephew of Ms. Sasikalaa, associate of Ms. Jayalalithaa.

Mr. Paneerselvam, who was born in January 1951, did not figure in the list of ``probables'' whose names were circulating in the past few weeks. In the earlier phase, women were said to be the frontrunners. Today, the rumour mills churned out the names of the Speaker, Mr. K. Kalimuthu, and also a relative of Ms. Sasikalaa.

Ms. Jayalalithaa announced the choice of the AIADMK legislature party at the Avvai Shanmugam Salai headquarters, with a visibly- shaken Mr. Paneerselvam seated beside her.

There was intense speculation in the morning whether Ms. Jayalalithaa would have to resign. In the end, it was said that no resignation ``was necessary or given'', since ``she ceased to be the Chief Minister after the Supreme court verdict''. Constitutional lawyers and Opposition leaders spoke of a ``possible constitutional vacuum'' as the State was technically without a Chief Minister during the course of the day.

Ms. Jayalalithaa met the Governor, Dr. C. Rangarajan, at the Raj Bhavan a little before 1.30 p.m. and it was decided that a new Chief Minister would be sworn in later in the evening.

By the evening, when the MLAs met at the party office, many of the Ministers were still in tears in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment quashing Ms. Jayalalithaa's appointment. The Finance Minister, Mr. C. Ponnaiyan, who was considered to be one of the ``more eligible'' candidates for the top job, put on a brave face - and a broad smile - to demonstrate his loyalty and support. ``I am quite a junior because I was away. It was a unanimous decision,'' he later told The Hindu. All the Ministers insisted that ``this is a temporary arrangement and our `Puratchi Thalaivi' (revolutionary leader) will soon resume office as Chief Minister''. G>They compared the situation to the Ramayana and said, ``Mr. Paneerselvam will function like Bharata and rule in the name of Rama (Ms. Jayalalithaa).'' They only hoped that the `vanavaas' would not last 14 years.Earlier in the day, Ms. Jayalalithaa told the party cadres to face the ``emergency'' courageously. She not only promised but also vowed to return as Chief Minister. A composed Ms. Jayalalithaa met the media for a few minutes at the Raj Bhavan in the afternoon and later at the party office in the evening. She said the present setback ``was only a temporary phenomenon'' and that the new Government ``was only an AIADMK Government and MGR rule would continue in the State''.

But there was another important message for the cadres - do not indulge in violence. The BJP-DMK combine was waiting to create law and order problems and clamp President's rule. She warned the partymen ``not to fall a prey to the evil designs''. The DMK chief, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, was waiting like ``an eagle'' to capitalise on such an opportunity, she alleged.

While introducing her successor, she said the Government's policies had been outlined in the Governor's address and they would be implemented. There was no need for her to resign ``since the very appointment had been set aside''. What control would she exercise on the new Government? ``You should observe the developments,'' she replied.

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