Sycophancy: Stalin warns ministers and party MLAs

Cabinet colleagues and party legislators singing paeans to him in the Assembly have irked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin forcing him to issue a stern warning against those indulging in sycophancy. Conscious of the fact that the budget session has been pruned by a week, he has asked the members not to waste time on eulogising him.

Chennai: Eulogising the party leadership is a distinctive hallmark of Dravidian politics of all shades without any exception. The practice which reached its zenith during the AIADMK reign of Jayalalithaa continued during the regime of Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as well.

But, Chief Minister M K Stalin appears to have lost patience to listen to the paeans of courtiers in the state assembly and instead wants to carry on business in the house sans accolades.

With DMK ministers and legislators vying with one another in showering praises on the Chief Minister with the sole aim of earning his attention, Stalin had 'ordered' his MLAs and cabinet colleagues to desist from showering encomiums on him. In his view, this is eating up precious time of the session.

“Everything has a limit... I cannot repeat this every time. Considering the paucity of time for the discussion on demands for grants, I have already advised to refrain from this. Still it is continuing,” he said, warning the ruling party MLAs of strict action if they indulged in praise while introducing Bills, raising questions or moving demands.

“It is not a request, but an order. You can praise party leaders and pioneers while replying,” he said, intervening when Law Minister S Reghupathy lauded party leaders before introducing a Bill to amend the Tamil Nadu Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1955.

Originally, the budget session which commenced from August 13, was to be held till September 21. But, in view of the election to the Rajya Sabha, it was decided to have it only up to September 13.

This is in stark contrast to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who was even deified by her party legislators. Constructing a larger than life image of the leader and erecting huge cut-outs, displaying servility were rewarded in the AIADMK. Even EPS relished at being praised by his cabinet colleagues and legislators.

According to analysts, Stalin, while cultivating the image of a strong leader, wants to rein in the MLAs and Ministers. Further, in their opinion, the Chief Minister is very much aware of the negative political fall out of allowing sycophancy as a political narrative defining his tenure. Hence, he has cracked the whip.