O. Panneerselvam

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O. Panneerselvam (2014)

O. Panneerselvam ( Ottakara Thevar Panneerselvam, Tamil : ஓ. பன்னீர்செல்வம் Ō. Paṉṉīrcelvam [ ˈpanːiːrˌselʋʌm ]; born January 14, 1951 in Periyakulam ) is an Indian politician of the regional party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). He has been Minister of Finance of the State of Tamil Nadu in Edappadi K. Palaniswami's cabinet since August 2017 . Previously, he was three times (2001–2002, 2014–2015 and 2016–2017), each for a few months as Chief Minister (head of government) of the state of Tamil Nadu. He was also a Minister in the Tamil Nadu government under J. Jayalalithaa from 2001 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2016 .

O. Panneerselvam was considered a loyalist to long-time AIADMK party leader J. Jayalalithaa. He represented Jayalalithaa twice in the office of Chief Minister, when she was removed from office because of corruption allegations. After Jayalalithaa's death, he followed this a third time into office, but soon lost an internal power struggle for the office of Chief Minister to Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

biography

Background and political advancement

O. Panneerselvam was born on January 14, 1951 in the city of Periyakulam in Theni District in southern Tamil Nadu. He is Hindu and belongs to the Thevar caste , which is numerically strong in southern Tamil Nadu. Panneerselvam completed his training with a Bachelor of Arts . He is a farmer by profession. Panneerselvam is married and has three children.

O. Panneerselvam began his political career in local politics. From 1996 to 2001 he was mayor of his hometown Periyakulam. In 2001 he was first elected to the Tamil Nadu Parliament for OIADMK. In the following elections in 2006 and 2011, he managed to return. Although he had little political experience as a newcomer to parliament, he was given the important office of finance minister in May 2001 in the cabinet of Prime Minister J. Jayalalithaa . Within the party, he was considered a protégé of Jayalalithaa's confidante VK Sasikala , who exerted considerable influence behind the scenes on the Jayalalithaa government.

First term as Chief Minister (2001-2002)

In September 2001, the Supreme Court invalidated Jayalalithaa's inauguration because she had a criminal record for corruption and removed her from office. O. Panneerselvam was surprisingly appointed as the new Chief Minister. With the inexperienced Panneerselvam, Jayalalithaa chose a loyal successor without his own power base in the party, who thus could not endanger their claim to power. Panneerselvam also complied that the arrangement was only provisional until Jayalalithaa could return to office. During his tenure, he always carried a portrait of Jayalalithaa in a clearly visible place in his shirt pocket. After Jayalalithaa was exonerated from the allegations of corruption, Panneerselvam immediately resigned as Chief Minister on February 24, 2002, clearing the way for Jayalalithaa's return to office. For the remainder of the legislative term, Panneerselvam took over the post of Minister for Public Works, Prohibition , Excise Duties and Tax Revenue. With the deselection of the AIADMK government in the 2006 election, he lost his ministerial post again.

Second term as Chief Minister (2014-2015)

After the AIADMK returned to power in the 2011 parliamentary elections, Jayalalithaa reappointed Panneerselvam as finance minister in her cabinet. In September 2014, Jayalalithaa was sentenced to prison and removed from office as a result of a protracted corruption process. In their place, O. Panneerselvam was sworn in as Chief Minister Tamil Nadu on September 29, 2014. As in 2001, the selection of Panneerselvam was due to his almost unconditional loyalty to Jayalalithaa. On his inauguration, Panneerselvam demonstrated great sadness over the conviction of Jayalalithaa and, like several of the cabinet ministers, burst into tears during the swearing-in ceremony. After taking office, Panneerselvam decided not to move into Jayalalithaa's office or to take her seat in the plenary hall. In December 2014, he told Parliament that it was Jayalalithaa who ran the government. After Jayalalithaa was again acquitted of the corruption allegations, she returned to the office of Chief Minister on May 23, 2015. Panneerselvam willingly resigned and returned to the post of finance minister.

Third term as Chief Minister (2016-2017)

After J. Jayalalithaa fell ill in September 2016 and was no longer able to carry out her official duties, O. Panneerselvam took over provisional leadership of the government. In the usual manner he presented himself as a loyalist Jayalalithaas. At every cabinet meeting he demonstratively put a portrait of Jayalalithaas in front of him. Jayalalithaa passed away on the evening of December 5, 2016. In the early hours of December 6th, Panneerselvam was sworn in as her successor as Chief Minister.

Although Jayalalithaa's death left a huge power vacuum, the transition after Panneerselvam's inauguration seemed to be organized at first. Two months after Jayalalithaa's death, however, a violent power struggle broke out between Panneerselvam and Jayalalithaa's confidante VK Sasikala. While Sasikala exercised considerable influence on their politics during Jayalalithaa's lifetime, but always only worked in the background, she now sought to succeed Jayalalithaas. On December 29, 2016, she was appointed General Secretary (party leader) of the AIADMK. On February 5, Panneerselvam submitted his resignation with reference to "personal reasons" and proposed Sasikala as his successor. Just two days later, however, he stated that he had been forced to resign and declared his claim to the office of Chief Minister. After it was initially not clear which of the two opponents would have the support of the AIADMK MPs and the decision in a corruption case against Sasikala was pending, C. Vidyasagar Rao , the governor of Tamil Nadu, decided to appoint the chief minister to await further developments. On February 14, 2017, the Indian Supreme Court finally upheld Sasikala's conviction in the corruption proceedings against her. The verdict means that she will no longer hold any public office for 10 years and will therefore not be able to become Chief Minister in the foreseeable future. After Sasikala was sentenced, the previous Minister for Public Works, Edappadi K. Palaniswami , moved to the head of the faction loyal to Sasikala. On February 16, 2017, the governor appointed Palaniswami as chief minister. Two days later, Palaniswami won a vote of confidence in parliament. Of 133 AIADMK MPs, 122 voted for Palaniswami and only 11 for Panneerselvam.

Party split and reunification

The power struggle between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam led to a brief split of the AIADMK into two splinter groups, the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) led by Palaniswami and the AIADMK (Amma) led by Panneerselvam. After six months, the two factions reunited in August 2017. Palaniswami retained the post of Chief Minister while Panneerselvam was appointed Deputy Chief Minister for Finance.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b T. S. Subramanian: "Transition, and signs of trouble", in: Frontline 18 (20) (September 29 - October 12, 2001).
  2. ↑ The Hindu, November 17, 2001: "Not crossing the 'Jaya-rekha'?".
  3. ↑ TS Subramanian: "Jayalalithaa's victory", in Frontline 19 (5) (March 2-15, 2002).
  4. ^ The Hindu, May 15, 2011: "Jayalalithaa to be sworn in today".
  5. ↑ The Hindu, September 30, 2014: "Panneerselvam sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM".
  6. ^ Frontline, October 31, 2014: "Quiet loyalist".
  7. ^ The New York Times, October 4, 2014: "Indian State in Mourning After Graft Conviction".
  8. ↑ The Times of India, December 9, 2014: "It's Jayalalithaa who runs govt, Panneerselvam tells assembly".
  9. ^ The Hindu, May 23, 2015: "Jayalalithaa is Tamil Nadu Chief Minister again".
  10. ↑ Hindustan Times, May 11, 2015: "Yes, madam: Tamil Nadu CM Panneerselvam makes way for Jayalalithaa".
  11. ↑ Jayalalitha: The photograph 'ruling' an Indian state. BBC News, October 25, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
  12. ^ O. Panneerselvam sworn in as Chief Minister. The Hindu News, December 6, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
  13. ^ VK Sasikala appointed as AIADMK general secretary. The Hindu, December 29, 2016, accessed December 29, 2016 .
  14. ↑ Decks cleared for Sasikala as Governor accepts Pannerselvam's resignation. The Hindu, February 6, 2017, accessed February 8, 2016 .
  15. ↑ OPS revolts, says he was forced to quit. The Hindu, February 8, 2017, accessed February 8, 2016 .
  16. ↑ TN Governor likely to await SC ruling in Sasikala case. The Hindu, February 10, 2017, accessed February 11, 2016 .
  17. ↑ Sasikala: Conviction ends Jayalalitha aide's chief minister bid. February 14, 2017, accessed February 14, 2016 .
  18. ↑ Tamil Nadu Governor appoints Edappadi K Palaniswami as chief minister. The Times of India, February 16, 2017, accessed February 16, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Edappadi Palaniswami wins floor test. The Hindu, February 18, 2017, accessed February 18, 2016 .
  20. ↑ AIADMK merger: Panneerselvam is Deputy CM, gets finance portfolio. The Hindu, August 21, 2017, accessed May 3, 2018 .

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personal data
SURNAME Panneerselvam, O.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES பன்னீர்செல்வம், ஓ. (Tamil)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Indian politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 14, 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH Periyakulam