A series of controversial government directives in Tamil Nadu has raised questions about the relationship between the political executive and the bureaucracy under the new TVK government.
A directive based on Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar’s instructions sought to prevent students from participating in protests organised by Left parties and the CJP withdrew the directive following criticism.
Around the same time, Guziliamparai Tahsildar M Ayyasamy issued an order asking revenue officials to collect the names and addresses of CPI and CPI(M) members across villages in Dindigul district.
Do these incidents point to a larger question about how much independence officials have in taking administrative decisions? Are bureaucrats acting on their own or following directions from the political leadership? And what do these controversies reveal about the functioning of the administration under Chief Minister Vijay?
In this week's episode of Yen Endra Kelvi, Shabbir Ahmed examines the questions and the growing debate over political control, bureaucratic accountability and the independence of the state administration.