The men around Vijay: Why Tamil Nadu CM’s inner circle is under scrutiny

Every government has a coterie that runs the system. Around Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay that group consists of a mix of political consultants, film managers, film production controllers, campaign operators, journalists, business associates and old loyalists; a cast of characters who appear to fluidly move between party, government, and the personal sphere.

Vijay is entitled to trust people from the world of cinema, media, and his private professional circle — and these people can bring competence into governance — but the question before the TVK government is: if they exercise authority, why is the public learning about them through Instagram posts and the Opposition’s complaints?

The DMK has now found that opening. In a complaint to the DGP on June 30, the DMK’s organisation secretary, R S Bharathi, sought the registration of an FIR over the alleged participation of John Arokiasamy and Vishnu Reddy in Cabinet meetings, official reviews, and other confidential meetings of the CM. Bharathi alleged possible offences under the Official Secrets Act and other laws, arguing that Vijay was bound by his oath of secrecy to protect confidential government proceedings. While Reddy is Vijay’s close aide, Arokiasamy is a political strategist, and both helped the CM as he made his way to the top of the political order in the state.

DMK MP P Wilson also questioned the presence of the two men in high-level government meetings. If they are not government servants, he asked, in what capacity did they attend meetings where secret documents were circulated? He also alleged that the two had been given chambers near the CM’s office.

Top TVK sources said the charge itself was misplaced. According to them, there are necessary government orders that authorise both Arokiasamy and Reddy to be part of critical meetings. “Just that the details may not be celebrated in the public domain, but they are not private persons anymore,” said a leader.

That answer may satisfy the legal minimum inside the government. Politically, it raises the next question. If those orders exist, some with Cabinet ranks, why not release them? Transparency could have ended the controversy in an afternoon. Instead, the government has allowed a cloud to form around two men whom its leaders say are officially empowered.

Other appointments

The pattern is not limited to just the two. Vijay’s long-time manager Jagadish Palaniswamy — who also manages several prominent Tamil actors — revealed his own government posting in an Instagram birthday message to Vijay on June 22. “Happy Birthday to my God…” he wrote. The same post also disclosed that he was now the “Private Secretary to the Honourable Chief Minister”. A senior TVK leader said Jagadish’s appointment had been decided at least four days earlier and that he used his proximity to the CM to reveal it himself, unlike Reddy or Arokiasamy.

In another appointment, K Venkata Narayana, chairman of the Bengaluru-based KVN Group and producer of Vijay’s unreleased film Jana Nayagan, was appointed Tamil Nadu’s Special Representative in New Delhi, a Cabinet-rank post traditionally meant to navigate the complicated relationship between Fort St George and the Union government.

Noted cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa, who has shot several Vijay films, has been appointed head of the Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film and Television Institute.

While the TVK’s opponents criticise these appointments, Vijay’s supporters point out that people from the world of movies have unique skillsets that may translate seamlessly into politics. They say that a film production controller who has spent decades coordinating with thousands of artistes, technicians, budgets, logistics, and dealing with crises may possess managerial skills that can serve well in governance, as well as, if not more than, the son of a legacy politician thrust into public life.

The five key figures

Sources in Vijay’s camp said five individuals now function as crucial informal operators feeding advice, inputs, and political evaluation into the CM’s advisory structure.

One of them, once close to Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin of the DMK, is now in Vijay’s inner circle and is also a relative of Vishnu Reddy. There are journalists, including a former editor of a Tamil magazine and another prominent name, who hold no official titles or party roles but are assisting with advice on government matters such as transfer-related processes and administrative coordination. Two more are figures from the film and political worlds: a former production controller and PRO whom Vijay trusts and a Left MP elected twice from the DMK alliance.

Vijay’s supporters say it is not unusual for a first-time CM to depend on the people he knows, as he did not inherit a system that a dynastic heir in his position may have leaned on. But the matter is not about trust, according to some senior figures in the government, but the alleged lack of transparency.

“If Arokiasamy and Reddy have authority, publish the orders. If Jagadish Palaniswamy is your Private Secretary, let the government say so before Instagram does. If advisers shape policy, transfers or political negotiations, define their roles. If journalists assist governance, let them decide whether they are observers, advisers, or actors,” said a senior government secretary on the condition of anonymity.

The people around Vijay may be competent and some may even prove indispensable. But in government, keeping them away from the limelight is a risk. The world of movies may have thrown up a new grammar of politics, but the oldest rule of public life still applies: power may begin in trust, but legitimacy begins in disclosure.