There's an old-world charm to seasoned politician
Chennai: It is with an old-world charm and concern that the minister Sengottaiyan greets you at his Alwarpet apartment, which is a far cry from the official Greenaways Road houses. Ï am comfortable here,” he explains.
He is one from the old school but one who has had his share of bruising politics. An acolyte of MGR, whose cinematic image of non-smoking, non-drinking do-gooder drew him to the actor in the first place, the youth from Gobichettipalayam who won his first election from nearby Sathyamangalam in 1977 and then got shifted to his home turf of Gobichettipalayam when MGR wanted him to contest from there. He has won seven times from Gobi, which is a fair reflection of what he has done for his constituency.
A seasoned politician who has held several portfolios like transport, agriculture, IT, he served Jayalalithaa loyally through thick and thin, taking charge of her campaign runs in western Tamil Nadu too. The School Education portfolio is his now and it is to his liking as he believes he can contribute positively. He says, “If I take it easy, a whole generation of students would lose out. My aim is to make their path smoother.”
He is well aware of where the Edappadi Palaniswami government stands with regard to its Assembly strength and the state of the opposition. But he is never one to comment too much on the politics of the day. He is happy tending to his ministry and whenever he gets the opportunity to slip away to his native place in Gobi where he is content walking around the area with his dogs, examining the cows they are rearing and even driving farm tractor to his farm.
“There is something to Gobi. Those who have reason to come here find many reasons to stay on. It may be the healthy air,” he says proudly. He never tires of talking about Jayalalithaa’s love for education and how to reach it to everyone. “People may be poor but give them an education and they would stop being poor from then on,” the minister quotes the former CM as saying.
He also likes to quote Bill Gates who said, “If you are born poor it’s not your mistake, but if you die poor it’s your mistake.” Mr Sengottaiyan finds that inspiring enough to wish to give every poor kid a proper education so that he may find a job and never be poor again.
