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Shekhawat tipped for TN governor

Former Rajasthan chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is being tipped to be the new governor of Tamil Nadu.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran is seen as having adequate chief ministerial experience, and can thus handle situations of the type that led to the unceremonious departure of Justice Fathima Beevi from the Madras Raj Bhavan.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Dr C Rangarajan is now holding additional charge of Tamil Nadu. Given his native links to the state, his long-term continuance has become untenable.

The Centre, it is said, even considered asking Pondicherry Lieutenant-Governor Rajini Rai to take charge of Tamil Nadu, but matters of protocol ruled that out. It has always been a governor who has been asked to take additional charge of a Union Territory, not the other way round.

BJP sources said that the septuagenarian Shekhawat's elevation would also give the high command some leeway in Rajasthan, where it is under pressure to hand over the party reins to the next generation in preparation for future poll battles.

Alternatively, former CBI director Shyam Lal Dutta, who has a 'tough cop' image, could be asked to take the responsibility. He is said to be close to Ranjan Bhattacharya, the prime minister's foster son-in-law.

However, the DMK is not keen on nominees of the prime minister's kin fearing that AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha might win them over to her side, which she had done when P V Narasimha Rao was the prime minister.

Secondly, with the state's police force under attack for its recent conduct, the appointment of a former cop as the governor does not augur well.

A retired army officer would have been preferred. He could instill confidence in the demoralised bureaucracy and police force and at the same time hold them accountable.

The drawback is the political role that the Tamil Nadu governor may have to play in the event of an emergency. An army officer could either take orders from the political leadership or could be over-bearing and brash, which could upset someone like Jayalalitha even more, it is argued.

One possible candidate is Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant. Even before the current crisis, there were rumours that Pant would be posted as Tamil Nadu governor.

However, there are strong doubts whether the Centre could afford to disturb Pant with the draft Tenth Plan at a crucial stage. Besides, Pant is also Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's special emissary in Kashmir.

Any change of guard at this stage could be interpreted as the Centre delaying the peace process in Jammu and Kashmir. A replacement would also find it difficult to gain the confidence of the state's leaders and population.

The Centre is said to be keen on not politicising the governor's appointment, particularly after the recent developments in the state.

As the Sarkaria Commission had observed, the Centre has to obtain the chief minister's consent before naming a new governor. The Centre is aware that President K R Narayanan could make a pointed reference to the provision in the given circumstances.

As it is, Kerala's former Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) chief minister E K Nayanar has raised the issue in public.

It is in this context, DMK sources feel, that Pant may be the right candidate.

A senior BJP leader in his own right, his Congress past might infuse confidence in the ruling AIADMK and other political parties in Tamil Nadu.

His vast ministerial experience at the Centre should come in handy while faced with situations of the kind that possibly overwhelmed Justice Fathima Beevi.

But for Pant, personally, it could be a climb-down after his high-profile twin-assignments at the Centre - at the Planning Commission and in J&K.

He would be adequately compensated if the governorship paved the path to his ascendance to the vice-presidency.

Congress, the main opposition party at the Centre, would have no problem supporting him, but the Centre would once again have to search for a replacement at Madras.

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