Kerala IAS officers controversy & Old guard vs new in DMK | Powertrip #79

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna. In this week’s edition, we explore the Kerala government’s crackdown on two IAS officers for “divisive actions”. Was their suspension justified or was it just a cautionary move? In Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK, Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin is taking on senior party leaders with ambitious reorg plans ahead of the crucial 2026 Assembly elections. Meanwhile, Telangana opposition leader KTR has four reasons why he is on a visit to Delhi..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.Kerala’s IAS clashThe Kerala government suspended two IAS officers on November 11, one of who is a popular figure with a substantial social media following. Prasanth, widely known as ‘Collector bro’, was suspended for publicly criticising his superior, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) A Jayathilak. Prasanth lost his temper at Jayathilak, whom he suspected of leaking documents about him to a Mathrubhumi journalist. His frustration led to multiple social media tirades, including a post mockingly comparing Jayathilak to a mentally ill character from a film.The second officer, Gopalakrishnan, was suspended for creating a WhatsApp group titled ‘Mallu Hindu officers’. The suspension order was notably severe, describing the group as communal in nature, aimed at fostering division, sowing disunity, and undermining cadre solidarity. Curious about Gopalakrishnan’s history, we reached out to several IAS officers in Kerala, all of whom agreed that he has no track record of communal behaviour. Many felt the suspension was excessive, though they acknowledged that it was unwise of Gopalakrishnan to form a new group called ‘Mallu Muslim officers’ after the Hindu group chat screenshot was leaked.So why did the government issue such a harsh order? Sources within the government and the bureaucracy offered a few insights. While Kerala has rarely seen officers openly aligning with Sangh ideologies, it is well-known that some officers lean towards those beliefs. The government views the suspension as a cautionary measure. One officer noted that Kerala has seen a high number of retired officials joining the BJP, so it was unsurprising that the Left government felt compelled to enforce stricter discipline.As far as Prasanth is concerned, the battle is far from over. He has publicly announced that he will expose Jayathilak. An officer told us that Prasanth was not fearful of being reprimanded and would have targeted Jayathilak knowing fully well that action would be taken against him.Old guard vs new in DMKA silent tussle is brewing in the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu between the old guard, led by a few senior ministers, and the new guard, led by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, ahead of the crucial 2026 Assembly elections.The party has already begun election preparations by setting itself a target of winning 200 constituencies and appointing election in-charges for all 234 constituencies.Udhayanidhi Stalin has proposed a plan to restructure the party hierarchy to improve functionality and administrative control. This plan, which suggests appointing one secretary for every two Assembly constituencies, has been under consideration for some time. While the proposal has generated enthusiasm among younger party members, it met with resistance from senior leaders, as it would dilute the authority currently held by DMK district secretaries.At present, the DMK has 72 district secretaries, most of them senior leaders with ministerial roles. Many manage three to six constituencies each. Under Udhayanidhi’s plan, there would be 117 district secretaries, each overseeing two of the 234 total constituencies.Party seniors like Ministers Sekar Babu, TM Anbarasan, Madurai Moorthy, R Avudaiappan, and others have opposed the move. They feel that while the proposal may work well when the party is in power, it would limit their influence and authority when in opposition.Nevertheless, Udhayanidhi is determined to implement his plan before his statewide tour, which he plans to launch in March 2025. Will Udhayanidhi succeed in shaking up the well-entrenched DMK system?The many reasons behind KTR’s Delhi visitBRS working president and former Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao is in Delhi. He met Union Minister ML Khattar and complained that there was a scam in the tenders given under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT 2.0 scheme), which benefited CM Revanth Reddy’s family.According to KTR’s team, there are four reasons why he decided to go to Delhi. First, he aims to press the BJP government to acknowledge the alleged scam. If they don’t, the BRS plans to claim that the BJP and Congress have a cosy arrangement, avoiding action against each other.The third reason is to embarrass Congress amidst the Maharashtra elections, leveraging the scandal to question them. Lastly, KTR’s most crucial goal is to capture the attention of Delhi’s media. He believes that while the issue has gained traction in Telangana, national media coverage will amplify it further — especially given the appetite of certain channels for stories critical of the Congress..Zero HourA political story of public importance.Our Simple (and Low) Expectations from the New Chief Justice.The new Chief Justice need not seek to carve out a name for himself in history books; he will be remembered in history if he simply remembers that he is empowered enough to see to it that a wayward executive does not maul the constitution..PowermovesTop 5 political stories.1. How Modi govt is redirecting investments from other states to Gujarat2. The complex legacy of Siddaramaiah: A political and ideological profile 3. ‘Roti, beti, aur mati': The BJP’s narrative of 'Bangladeshi infiltration' in Jharkhand4. Telangana caste census begins: Why an end to 50% quota cap needs to follow5. Commission accuses Yediyurappa, Sreeramulu of bloating COVID supply deals, seeks prosecution

Kerala IAS officers controversy & Old guard vs new in DMK | Powertrip #79

Related Stories