A ‘people’s CM’ eyes hot seat again in Puducherry

N Rangasamy is unassuming and, some would argue, an unusual politician. One can spot him in a neighbourhood snack bar, see him zip through his locality on his Yamaha motorcycle and watch him play tennis at a playground almost every morning.

In other words: he is an oddity in a country where most politicians roam with swagger, arrogance and maintain a safe distance from the common man, except during elections.

Though he was Puducherry’s Chief Minister for 12 years, power never went to Rangasamy’s head.

Known for his spartan lifestyle, the 72-year-old former Congressman is the chief of the All India NR Congress (AINRC), which he created after he broke away from his parent party in a tale that will be familiar to those who follow politics.

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Rangasamy, with his trademark oversized shirt, is nicknamed ‘Pudhuvai Kamarajar’ (Puducherry’s very own Kamaraj), not just because he plunged into politics inspired by the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, but also because he leads a simple life. And like Kamaraj, he is a bachelor.

How Rangasamy began wearing oversized shirts has an interesting back story. “Rangasamy had asked his tailor to stitch him a shirt. I think it was in the 1980s and the tailor’s name was Vinayagam. When he wore the shirt, Rangasamy was not very happy as it was loose. But a friend told him he looked like Kamaraj and he began wearing that shirt. Rest is history,” Rangasamy’s close aide tells DH.

But not much is known about Rangasamy outside the Union Territory and neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Born in 1950 to Panjali Ammal and Nadesan Krishnasamy, Rangasamy studied law and made his electoral debut in 1989 but tasted defeat at the hands of his ‘political guru’ V Pethaperumal.

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But he took revenge on his friend-turned-political foe by defeating Pethaperumal in 1991 from the Thattanchavady constituency and there was no looking back – Rangasamy has not lost an election since 1991.

He is the first chief minister from the Vanniyar community and earned the sobriquet ‘Makkal Mudhalvar’ (People’s chief minister) for his pro-people initiatives like enhancing the old age pension and providing breakfast to school children along with mid-day meals.

Another landmark initiative of Rangasamy is an education assistance scheme that allowed reimbursement of tuition fees of students enrolled in colleges under the government quota.

Notwithstanding all these qualities and public image, Rangasamy is an enigma. He was accessible to the general public but not to officials and his colleagues while in power. His entire Cabinet turned against him in 2008 after being in the CM’s seat since 2001, leading to his ouster. But the common man on the street still looked up to him.

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“No one can guess what is on his mind. There are only a few people who muster the courage to tell him what is right and wrong. Even then it is Rangasamy who decides whether to listen or to ignore,” another aide of the AINRC leader says.

Rangasamy was a victim of the Congress’ familiar weakness: ignoring its mass leaders. Feeling insulted after being left high and dry by his party, Rangasamy took a gamble in February 2011 by launching AINRC, weeks before Puducherry went to the polls.

The risk paid off as he led the AINRC to an emphatic win within 48 days of its launch, taking sweet revenge on his parent party.

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But, Rangasamy thought people’s sympathy would keep him in power for eternity. In his last shot at power (2011-2016), Rangasamy was accused of not delivering on his promises, delaying important files and not being accessible even to his Cabinet colleagues.

As his political stock plummeted, Rangasamy aligned with the BJP in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, despite the latter lacking any credible base in the UT. A shrewd politician, Rangasamy, who played a crucial role in destabilising the V Narayanasamy government, has made the BJP accept him as the leader of the rainbow coalition for the April 6 elections.

Rangasamy believes his pro-people initiatives and his ‘public touch’ will put him firmly in the chief minister’s saddle for the fourth time. And since he believes in ‘divine intervention’, Rangaswamy began temple-hopping before he launched his election work.