Posts in boards, corporations not helping CM much in pacifying ‘upset’ MLAs

Tamil Nadu has a total of 122 governmental organisations in the agriculture, cooperation, labour welfare, energy, food, forestry, industries, industrial promotion, infrastructure, medicine, textiles and transport, but most are either headed by professionals or retired IAS officials. 

It is the ruling party’s usual practice to give choice posts to party favourites as a mark of gratitude or to suspected rebels to placate and keep them in good humour. During the chief ministerships of both MGR and Jayalalithaa, rebellion was unheard of and posts of chairperson were given to those who were favoured by the party. 

EPS now finds himself in a bind as he practically has no such posts which he can give to suspected rebels to ensure loyalty as in addition to the above reason, another 27 Tamil Nadu government organisations are now defunct. 

These include the Tamil Nadu coconut farmers welfare board, Agrofed, Public Works Engineering Corporation, Tamil Nadu Steels, Tamil Nadu Theatre Corporation, TACID (TN Corporation for Infrastructure Development), TN Meat Corporation, TN Goods Transport Corporation, TN Ceramics, TN State Farms Corporation, TN State Tube Wells Corporation, and the TN Dairy Development Corporation. 

While some corporations/ boards were merged with existing organisations like TASMAC and SIPCOT, the others were closed down due to various reasons, existing organisations headed by retired civil service officials include the TN State Election Commission, TN Public Service Commission and the state institute for rural development (SIRD). 

Service officers head Metrowater, SIPCOT, TANSI and ELCOT. TIDCO (TN Industries Development Corporation) and TWAD (TN Water and Drainage Board) are both governed by boards while the powerful state planning commission is headed by the Chief Minister.