The possibility of Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) being shifted out of his portfolio, has split the ruling DMK and started an intense debate over whether this would be a pragmatic political decision. Several party insiders have told TNM that many leaders in the DMK are not in full agreement with the nature and timing of the possible decision. Several senior leaders of the party informed Chief Minister MK Stalin, in private conversations, that moving PTR out of the Finance Ministry would be seen as an ‘admission of guilt’ in the wake of the controversial audio tapes allegedly attributed to the Finance Minister.
Sources in the DMK said that CM Stalin had held multiple rounds of discussions with senior ministers over the cabinet reshuffle in the past week, and it was decided that PTR should be allowed to continue in the state cabinet. "This is why the Chief Minister broke his silence on the audio tape issue and termed it cheap politics," the source added.
However, there was pressure from ‘certain quarters’ to take action against PTR and change his portfolio. After deliberations, it was decided that PTR would be moved out of the Finance Ministry. The buzz about the change in PTR’S portfolio has triggered outrage on social media, where a section of DMK sympathisers are trending the #I_StandwithPTR hashtag and have cautioned Chief Minister Stalin not to fall into the trap laid by his archrivals.
Reacting to rumours of PTR being shunted out of the Finance Department, anti-caste writer and activist Meena Kandaswamy tweeted, “it feels like a shock, an absolutely unwarranted move playing into the hands of those who want to destabilise the party, a move that simultaneously displays both tone-deafness and the inability to read public perception.” Meena went on to say that the possible move to shift PTR out of the Finance Department would be a ‘self-goal’. "As someone who spends most of her time outside this state and country, everywhere I've gone, I've seen academics, intellectuals, artists, media persons, and activists, hold PTR in the highest regard. In many ways, he is seen as the DMK's ideological warrior, symbolising credibility and demolishing the BJP's propaganda machine using facts alone. To strip him of the finance portfolio (if rumours are true) is a spectacular self-goal by the DMK." she added.
Echoing similar sentiments, a senior DMK leader who spoke to TNM on condition of anonymity said since the possible decision to change PTR’s portfolio is not because of his performance, it will only be seen as a direct fallout of the leaked audio conversations and an admission of guilt.
Sources said Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu is reported to have communicated to the CM that he is content in his present portfolio and is reluctant to take over Finance after what is widely accepted as a successful stint by PTR.
However, members of the first family, especially the CM’s son and Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhaynidhi Stalin and son-in-law Sabareesan, are reportedly unhappy with the audio tapes fiasco. TNM had first reported on its members-only newsletter Powertrip (Become a Member to get access to Powertrip) that despite CM Stalin’s public rebuke of the audio clips, there was unhappiness among the party leadership and the first family.
But it isn’t just the audio tapes, several senior ministers have had an axe to grind with PTR. "There was pressure from senior ministers and bureaucrats who had major disagreements with PTR on the allocation of funds for government programmes and schemes. The Chief Minister had planned to reshuffle his cabinet after the budget session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly," the DMK functionary said.
Speaking to TNM, Senior Journalist Mani said changing the portfolio of PTR is as good as sidelining him. For the past two years PTR has enjoyed a lot of support from the DMK leadership. “Any action against PTR would be considered as DMK accepting that there is something wrong and it will be linked with the audio tapes issue,” he said.
An activist told TNM, “Any decision on PTR at this point in time should be political and not an emotional one.”
The likely changes in the two most important portfolios of the Tamil Nadu government, Finance and Industries Departments, is being keenly watched by corporates. Speaking to TNM, a leading businessman said the industry is unhappy over PTR being possibly moved from the Finance Ministry. “It would also be really unfair to shift Minister for Information and Technology Mano Thanjaraj after he delivered one of the most successful events UMAGINE for the IT industry,” he added.
The first audio clip was released by YouTuber Savukku Shankar, who claimed that voice allegedly belongs to PTR. In the audio clip, a person can be heard alleging that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin and his son-in-law Sabareesan had amassed Rs 30,000 crores in a year. PTR, however, has denied that the voice in the audio clips belong to him. He had stated, "I am forced to react at this juncture because one social media post has now been re-broadcast to lamentable proportions: it has been repeated and amplified by unscrupulous political players, and I'm distressed to find that traditional media, the fourth pillar of democracy, are disseminating such fabricated, malicious third-hand information."
A few days later, on April 26, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai released the second audio clip, attributing it to Finance Minister PTR. The voice on the clip is heard criticising the functioning of the DMK and the Chief Minister’s family members. PTR strongly denied it was his voice and went on to say that Chief Minister MK Stalin is not only the guiding light of Tamil Nadu but the hope of the country. He also said that Sports Minister Udhaynidhi is the hope for the next generation and MK Stalin’s son-in-law V Sabareesan is his most trusted advisor, aide, and pillar of support.