“We are all waiting for the second coming of Jesus; but instead of the Holy Cross he will hold the hammer and sickle.” So ends Indira Parthasarathy’s novel Yesuvin Thozharkal (Comrades of Jesus) — a piece of dialogue that underscores how even a Jesus-like saviour may need an ideology.
The ‘Messiah syndrome’ may have disappeared even in Eastern Europe, but it seems to have caught the imagination of a small section of the people in Tamil Nadu which is seeking to project U. Sagayam, an IAS officer with a reputation for honesty and integrity, as the State’s saviour.
This group has been conducting a vigorous campaign, particularly on social media, promoting Mr. Sagayam as a potential chief ministerial candidate for the 2016 Assembly polls. The IAS officer is presently in the news for probing the multi-crore granite mining scandal in Madurai on the orders of the Madras High Court.
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Expectedly, the campaign and Mr. Sagayam’s silence about it has evoked criticism. Some observers have dubbed it as a “juvenile” effort by those feeling let down by the politicians.
Ramu Manivannan, professor of political science, University of Madras, said, “No single person, however great he may be, will be in a position to bring about a change. On the contrary, we should build and project a system operated collectively by committed individuals.”
There were many honest officers and making all of them Chief Ministers of the State would not solve the problem. “We should not forget we need good people in all spheres of administration,” he summed it up.
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However, former bureaucrat M.G. Devasahayam feels, “Mr. Sagayam has evolved as a concept and symbol of the Tamil Nadu people’s disenchantment with political parties that have lost credibility when it comes to governance and corruption.”
Rejecting the argument that only a party with an ideology and agenda could herald a change in the Indian political system, Mr. Devasahayam said, “What do you mean by ideology? Except the concept of social justice, which political party is wedded to an ideology? You must also keep in mind that till the enactment of the anti-defection law, the Constitution in its spirit never recognised a political party. Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement represented grass-root level democracy.”
Asked whether an IAS officer could make a difference as a politician, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner N. Vittal said it depended on how such people shaped their agenda. “(Some in) Tamil Nadu seems to be interested in emulating the Delhi model, where a government servant has become Chief Minister. Of course, Mr. Sagayam has a track record,” said Mr. Vittal.
In the past, a civil servant, H.M. Patel, had served as Finance Minister in the Morarji Desai Cabinet. “An ICS officer, Patel built 25 educational institutions, and began his political career at the panchayat level. Fortunately, he also lived long to enjoy a great political career,” Mr. Vittal said.