CHENNAI: The appointment of Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi’s principal secretary Anandrao Vishnu Patil as joint secretary of the Union department of school education has evoked much curiosity about who would succeed him in the Raj Bhavan. Sources said Patil got the clearance from the state government and the governor for the central deputation after he cited “personal reasons”.
“Patil’s posting came on Friday. He had earlier visited the chief minister and sought his clearance to go on central deputation. The process of his replacement will begin soon,” said a government source.
The conventional practice in the state is that the government would consult the governor prior to appointment of his secretary. It remains unclear if the DMK government would follow the traditional route this time or post an officer in charge to relieve Patil so that the latter could take up his new posting at the Centre.
There is a sense of unease in the bureaucracy about a deputation to Raj Bhavan against the backdrop of the governor and the M K Stalin-led government being at loggerheads on a range of issues, including the recent constitution of search-cum-selection committees for vice-chancellors of the three Universities, said multiple sources.
The governor included UGC representatives in each of the committees and notified the announcement on the Raj Bhavan portal. The governor has still not cleared the government’s proposal to appoint retired DGP C Sylendra Babu as TNPSC chairman .
The secretary to the governor acts as a bridge with the state government. “With the governor expressing different views about state policy, it will be difficult to maintain cordial relations,” said a senior officer. All eyes are now on who will be Patil’s successor.
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