For CM Joseph Vijay, the time has come to walk the talk and show the world that ‘good things’ can indeed happen

 

If Joseph Vijay’s dramatic arrival on the political stage in Tamil Nadu, marking his debut with 108 seats in the assembly, was quite spellbinding to watch, his arrival for his swearing-in as chief minister, looking dapper in a suit complete with a ‘wrinkle-free crisp white shirt with a slight sheen’ (according to a Times of India report, the outfit was designed by Channai’s Zafir and Shadab) was refreshing and exemplified the sea change in Tamil Nadu politics. Two of the initial three orders he signed after being sworn in related to the formation of a special task force to take care of women’s safety and the setting up of anti-narcotics units across the state to crack down on drug-related offences, both top priorities.  

There are several other issues that the new administration will have to focus on once it settles down, some of which I had listed in my previous blog, but a couple of things will need immediate attention, with the summer as scorching as ever. I was reading a report by R. Aishwarya in The Hindu which describes how, even as many of us were watching the results in the comfort of our rooms, air-conditioned or otherwise, sanitation workers employed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) have been struggling to cope with surging temperatures. The workers the reporter spoke to highlighted issues relating to drinking water access, toilet facilities and the quality of food (usually pongal and rice) they get.  (This, of course, applies to sanitation workers across the state and in many other states in India.) What is shocking is that though they had submitted petitions to the GCC over the past two years complaining about the state of affairs, there has been no improvement. In fact, thanks to some mindful residents who offer the workers water or tea or buttermilk, they manage. One of the workers told the reporter that one day her blood pressure increased due to prolonged exposure to the sun.

The same page carried another report stating that with heat-wave conditions intensifying across several parts of India, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued an advisory to states and Union territories to protect vulnerable people staying in shelters under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission. The advisory was addressed to the mission directors implementing the scheme. The ministry also directed urban local bodies and shelter management agencies to take steps to ensure the safety and well-being of residents in such shelters during extreme heat conditions. According to the report, the advisory calls for adequate and regular supply of potable drinking water, clean water for bathing, and oral rehydration solution packets and salted drinks. The administration has to ensure that the shelters had functional fans, water dispensers and other cooling facilities. Other suggestions were: setting up water points, undertaking of fogging and sanitation measures to control mosquitoes and water-borne diseases, conducting regular awareness-building sessions on heat safety, symptoms of heat-related illnesses, and hydration practices, and distributing wet towels and hand-held fans.

All this sounds very good on paper. After all, these are directives that probably go out every summer. But are they really implemented completely? Caring for the poor and marginalised, the old and infirm, the homeless and all those dependent on the state’s munificence for survival must be considered more than just a constitutional duty by political parties and leaders. If we are to one day become a caring and humane society, political leaders like Vijay, who come with a clean slate and are keen to rid our system of the oh-so-many-ills, must show the way and stem the rot that has over decades destroyed policy implementation.

A well-intentioned good leader and an efficient bureaucracy alone will not do. Creating the thought and culture of working for the people’s good, of getting rid of corruption, of behaving in an honest and decent way and raising the bar while holding public office, and trying to reclaim some of the high standards our leaders in the pre- and immediate post-Independence days followed is an utopian ideal. But hurrah to those few who make a conscious effort.

Right now, many in Tamil Nadu look at Chief Minister Vijay as the Messiah who may be able to do just that… clean the stables. His intent is good – to work for the welfare of the people. He comes across as an independent and strong-willed person, firm in what he believes, not likely to be swayed by anyone under pressure and, for a debutant in politics, extremely confident. “Confident-aa irunga… nallade nadakkum… vetri nichayam!”(Be confident… good things will happen… victory is certain!), words he used to encourage his supporters during his campaign, now ring loud and true. Will he be able to keep some of his poll promises when in his opening speech he says the state treasury is empty and that he will have to assess the financial situation? It will be very interesting to see how things unfold. But, for the first time in many years, people in Tamil Nadu have found reason to hope.

 

*The image is AI-generated.