Puducherry CM Rangasamy takes a U-turn after 21 yrs, says UT’s edu portfolio not jinxed

PUDUCHERRY:  In what can be seen as an attempt to break the jinx around the education portfolio in the Puducherry assembly over the years, Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Monday said holding the “important portfolio” in 2000 had in fact brightened his political career.

Many ministers over the years, including Rangasamy himself, have shown their aversion to the portfolio believing that holding it may end their political career. Their reason for fear being that many of the UT’s former education ministers couldn’t enter the assembly ever again once they held the post. However, Rangasamy now begs to differ.

“My performance as an education minister has not only brought me back as a minister once, but also led to the formation of government.” he said, at a Teachers Day function on Monday. It may be recalled that Rangasamy became the  CM for the first time in 2001.

He said that though many people had advised him to shun the portfolio stating that he could never become an MLA or a minister after it, he held it and worked for betterment of education. The reality in 2000, though, was a little different. Rangasamy had in fact rejected the designation of education minister and got himself redesignated as tourism minister, while still holding the education portfolio.

Being upset over the allocation of the “jinxed post”, he even refused to turn up in his office for more than a week. Though his redesignation was ridiculed by many MLAs, Rangasamy stuck to his guns. After he won the 2001 polls, and subsequently the CM in the same year, many believed the jinx was finally broken.

If one is to delve into the history of Puducherry politics, there are many examples to believe in the jinx. The most prominent names being SP Sivakumar, who held the post from 1996 to 2000; AV Subramanian (2001); A Gandhiraj (1991-1996), L Joseph Mariodass (1985-1990) and N Manimaran in 1990. None of them became ministers ever again. The only exception may be incumbent PWD Minister K Lakshminarayanan, who despite being designated as education minister in 2001, became a minister again after two decades.

That the portfolio is still shunned, however, was evident when the present Education Minister A Namassivayam, designated as home minister, also resented getting allotted the portfolio. Namassivayam and his supporters had seen this as a threat to his aspirations to become the CM. He had even taken up his plight with the higher ups in the BJP, but they did not oblige.

The cover-up of designation to block the bad luck, which Namassivayam does now, has been followed ever since Rangasamy did it in 2000;  MOHF Shajahan and R Kamalakkanan being the other examples.

PUDUCHERRY:  In what can be seen as an attempt to break the jinx around the education portfolio in the Puducherry assembly over the years, Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Monday said holding the “important portfolio” in 2000 had in fact brightened his political career. Many ministers over the years, including Rangasamy himself, have shown their aversion to the portfolio believing that holding it may end their political career. Their reason for fear being that many of the UT’s former education ministers couldn’t enter the assembly ever again once they held the post. However, Rangasamy now begs to differ. “My performance as an education minister has not only brought me back as a minister once, but also led to the formation of government.” he said, at a Teachers Day function on Monday. It may be recalled that Rangasamy became the  CM for the first time in 2001. He said that though many people had advised him to shun the portfolio stating that he could never become an MLA or a minister after it, he held it and worked for betterment of education. The reality in 2000, though, was a little different. Rangasamy had in fact rejected the designation of education minister and got himself redesignated as tourism minister, while still holding the education portfolio. Being upset over the allocation of the “jinxed post”, he even refused to turn up in his office for more than a week. Though his redesignation was ridiculed by many MLAs, Rangasamy stuck to his guns. After he won the 2001 polls, and subsequently the CM in the same year, many believed the jinx was finally broken. If one is to delve into the history of Puducherry politics, there are many examples to believe in the jinx. The most prominent names being SP Sivakumar, who held the post from 1996 to 2000; AV Subramanian (2001); A Gandhiraj (1991-1996), L Joseph Mariodass (1985-1990) and N Manimaran in 1990. None of them became ministers ever again. The only exception may be incumbent PWD Minister K Lakshminarayanan, who despite being designated as education minister in 2001, became a minister again after two decades. That the portfolio is still shunned, however, was evident when the present Education Minister A Namassivayam, designated as home minister, also resented getting allotted the portfolio. Namassivayam and his supporters had seen this as a threat to his aspirations to become the CM. He had even taken up his plight with the higher ups in the BJP, but they did not oblige. The cover-up of designation to block the bad luck, which Namassivayam does now, has been followed ever since Rangasamy did it in 2000;  MOHF Shajahan and R Kamalakkanan being the other examples.