Puducherry CM Rangasamy skips office again over rift with L-G Kailashnathan

Chennai: The tussle between Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who heads the NR Congress-BJP coalition government, and Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan has reached a flashpoint, with the former skipping office for the third consecutive day on Thursday.

A worried BJP high command has rushed Nirmal Kumar Surana, the party’s in-charge for Puducherry, to smooth over the crisis in the tiny Union Territory.

Kailashnathan is a retired Gujarat-cadre IAS officer who worked closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his days as Chief Minister and wields considerable influence in the Union Government. 

Though tensions have been simmering between the CM and L-G for some time now, the appointment of S Sevvel as the Director of Health and Family Welfare by the Raj Nivas, which rejected the recommendation of the Chief Minister’s office, is the reason for the latest confrontation.

Sources told DH that Rangasamy recommended the name Anantha Lakshmi for the post, but Kailashnathan chose Sevvel. “This irked the CM, who feels, what is the point of his office recommending a name if the L-G chooses his own? That’s why he didn’t attend office on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday—to send a message to the BJP that the L-G can't have his way all the time,” a source in Rangasamy’s camp said.

Not just the appointment of Sevvel, but the Chief Minister has also been miffed with the way the L-G has been reshuffling officers in key departments, the source added. “The L-G should consult the CM and it doesn’t happen. That’s the problem,” the source said.

While the L-G said he was not aware of any “misunderstanding” between him and the CM, Rangasamy did not mince words when he said “minor issues” always crop up in the administration of the UT and emphasized the need for Puducherry to be declared a state.

“There will be issues, and we'll resolve them. That has been the case in Puducherry for many decades. This is not about this L-G or that L-G. As long as Puducherry remains a Union Territory, such issues will be there. Statehood is the only solution,” the Chief Minister told reporters.

However, he said the NR Congress-BJP government will not just complete its five-year tenure, but will return to power in 2026. NR Congress won 10 seats, BJP and DMK six each, Congress (2), and Independents (6) in the 2021 Assembly polls.

As the Chief Minister skipped office for the third straight day, a high-level delegation from the BJP, headed by Surana and Home Minister A Namassivayam, met Rangasamy at his residence and asked him not to precipitate any crisis for the coalition government.

“The Chief Minister expressed his displeasure over the unilateral functioning of the L-G and asked the BJP to sort out the issue at the earliest,” another source said.

The BJP rushed Surana to Puducherry after Rangasamy flexed his muscles by deputing seven of his legislators to meet Speaker R Selvam to seek a special session of the Assembly to discuss the issue of statehood for Puducherry.

“It looks like the issue has been resolved for now, but Rangasamy isn’t willing to trust the BJP completely, as he believes the saffron party will bargain for more seats in the 2026 elections,” the second source added.