The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam led government has introduced a dual adviser system for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, adding two advisers to the existing Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar. This arrangement, described as a co‑habitation in administration, has sparked mixed reactions among bureaucrats.
Tamil Nadu has a long history of appointing advisers to chief ministers, dating back to 1989 when S. Guhan served under M. Karunanidhi. Subsequent governments, including the AIADMK from 2011 to 2017, also used advisers such as Debendranath Sarangi, Sheela Balakrishnan, and K. Ramanujam. These appointments often led to friction with chief secretaries, as advisers sometimes interfered with administrative functions.
In May, Vishnu Reddy and John Arockiasamy were named advisers to Vijay. The move was met with scepticism by some officials who questioned whether the dual‑adviser system would function smoothly. The chief minister is also assisted by a team of four senior IAS officers, one of whom has over 30 years of experience.
Opinions differ on the balance of power. A faction of officials says the advisers’ roles are clearly defined—one handles political affairs and the other public events—so conflicts are unlikely. Others argue that Chief Secretary Sai Kumar, on a six‑month extension, exerts strong control over the administration, sometimes conveying that he is the boss, which diminishes the advisers’ influence. During the recent budget session, his tight grip was noted, and some ministers were unaware of the chief minister’s statements in the house. Media reports about a dispute over a Navodaya school have been dismissed by some bureaucrats, who say that Sai Kumar enjoys the chief minister’s utmost confidence.
