Edappadi Palaniswami closed 500 government run liquor shops on his first day in office
Highlights
- E Palaniswami's first day at work after winning floor test on Saturday
- Started with closing down 500 liquor shops, designed to appeal to women
- Doubled allowance for unemployed youth, subsidy on vehicles for women
Edappadi Palaniswami, new Tamil Nadu chief minister came to work on Monday seemingly with a clear mantra - when everyone seems against you, offer something to everyone. Having won a trust vote on Saturday in challenging circumstances, he also asserted his new status seating himself in former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's office, and immediately signing on five files after offering flower petals at a photograph of the AIADMK matriarch who died in December.
The chief minister's chair had an occupant after months. Mr Palaniswami's predecessor O Panneerselvam never sat in the Chief Minister's chamber even after Ms Jayalalithaa died in a display of his devotion and loyalty.
EPS, as Palaniswami is now called, as opposed to Mr Panneerselvam's OPS, got down to business quickly. In the presence of all his ministers and a few other supporters, chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan handed over the five files and he signed them one after the other.
His first act as Chief Minister was strategically crafted. Like Ms Jayalalithaa, who had closed 500 government run liquor shops on her first day at work in keeping with her poll promise of phased prohibition, EPS closed another 500 today. It is designed to please women in the state who have been demanding a ban on liquor.
He also doubled a monthly allowance for unemployed youth, gave a 50 per cent subsidy on vehicles bought by working women, hiked maternity benefit from 12000 rupees to 18000 rupees and announced 5000 houses for fishermen.
He then held a press conference, rare for Tamil Nadu chief ministers, and answered a few questions on drought and farmer deaths in the state.
Perhaps conscious that public opinion has him pegged as "remote controlled" by AIADMK chief VK Sasikala, the new chief minister has not yet made a trip to Bengaluru Central Prison where she is lodged. Day one was set aside to woo the people of state, where there is anger at the way Mr Palaniswami was chosen to be chief minister after Ms Sasikala's bid came to naught.
What he has done in a day's work however, is to push Tamil Nadu further into debt by at least a few hundred crore rupees more. Ms Jayalalithaa had announced sops on her first day as Chief Minister in 2016 that would cost the exchequer an additional 8000 crores. The state has an unenviable 2.35 lakh crore debt, one of the highest in the country.