DMK Minister PTR Moved from Finance to IT: Beginning of the End or a New Start?

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin moves PTR out of Finance Ministry in a cabinet reshuffle. What does it indicate?

Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, popularly known as PTR, lost his Finance Minister post in a cabinet reshuffle. 

(Image: Soundarya Athimuthu/The Quint

Dr P Thiaga Rajan, popularly known as PTR, is no longer the finance minister of Tamil Nadu, as the Tamil Nadu government moved him to helm the IT portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle made on Thursday, 11 May. PTR has been allocated the Information Technology and Digital Services portfolio, and his former post, Minister of Finance and Human Resources management has been taken over by Thangam Thenarasu. TRB Rajaa, son of DMK’s parliament leader TR Baalu, has been given the portfolio of Industries which was previously held by Thenarasu.

But why the change? Does this mean an indirect demotion for PTR?

Who Is PTR?

Often known as a well-read and articulate Finance Minister, PTR completed his undergraduate studies at the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. He is a PhD alumni of the University at Buffalo, United States and has also completed an MBA in financial management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Thiagarajan was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Madurai Central Assembly constituency in the 2016 and he was re-elected in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.

PTR rose to power quickly within the DMK and built a brand for himself with his outspoken personality. For a minister of his stature, his online presence and ability to take trolls head-on let the people of Tamil Nadu perceive him as a leader with a sharp mind and a sharper tongue. He has strategically challenged the BJP-ruled Centre with his data-driven speeches and built credibility as a well-informed finance minister from Tamil Nadu, in a short span of assuming office.

The 'Fall' of PTR

The decision to remove PTR from the finance portfolio has not come as a surprise, as many senior DMK functionaries in the past have reportedly expressed dismay over his aggressive and firm style of running the state finance department.

However, the controversy around the recent leak of purported audio clips that allegedly featured his voice claiming corruption within the DMK and outbursts against Chief Minister MK Stalin's family weakened his ground in the DMK.

"While PTR issued a statement denouncing the audio as fake and artificially created, he has not filed a police complaint or defamation suit and followed up on that."

Sumanth C Raman, Political Analyst

Speaking to The Quint, an analyst on condition of anonymity, said, "I look at this reshuffle in the ministry for PTR as a positive move. Maybe the DMK wants to strengthen the IT department, and given that PTR has proven his mettle in finance, he could have been seen as a great asset to drastically improve the standards of IT in Tamil Nadu."

However, political analyst Sumanth C Raman disagreed. Raman told The Quint, "Basically, from a portfolio perspective, the finance ministry controls everything. So there's no comparison between finance and IT. The IT minister post in Tamil Nadu is not a major portfolio like the Home Ministry, Industries, or Finance. Essentially, his being moved from an important portfolio like finance to one that is relatively less significant shows DMK's top leadership is clearly angry with him. Having listened to the leaked audio clips allegedly in PTR’s voice, DMK might have thought that he is not loyal upfront. We just have to wait and see. But I think probably in a matter of a few months – maybe after five or six months –they may drop him altogether."

Is This the Beginning of an End or a Fresh Start for PTR?

While the analysts differ on whether the IT portfolio will serve PTR well, the word in political circles is that the transfer does not harm him either. Though IT ministry can be seen as a demotion, the portfolio also fits PTR well. For a social media and tech savvy politician like PTR, who tweets and berates trolls without the help of political content creators, IT could prove to a be shot in the arm.

Also, the DMK has not decided to get rid of PTR altogether. There is very less indication that the party would ask him to leave the political arena, especially since the politician who debates in fluent English with panache, has also been the DMK's national face of sorts.

After CM MK Stalin assumed office in 2021, PTR was the most featured Tamil Nadu politician across national media. Even the young DMK leader and Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi Stalin does not measure up. A close contender could be DMK MP M Kanimozhi who usually sticks to the national front.

Due to the prominence he has been enjoying for the past two years, it may not be wise for DMK to shunt out PTR. In fact, the IT portfolio, though not as prominent as the finance porfolio, could be DMK's way of saying – 'stay in line.'