Chennai: Exactly four months after opting for voluntary retirement, former IAS officer U Sagayam who gained the reputation of a no-nonsense officer and who was transferred 25 times in 27-years of service has decided to throw his hat into the world of politics.
He confirmed his decision on Sunday at a political meeting at Adambakkam in Chennai where hundreds of fans gathered to hear him speak. Speculations were rife that he would join politics soon after his resignation just before the Tamil Nadu’s assembly polls.
He gained a reputation of a fearless officer when he took on the illegal granite quarrying mafia in Madurai district. His popularity rose to dizzying heights after an RTO response revealed that he had sent a report to senior officials about misappropriation of funds, swindling money by granite quarry operators in Madurai district. He was soon transferred to head Cooptex. However, the Madras High Court appointed him as the legal commissioner to continue his probe on granite quarrying and mining.
In spite of receiving several threats to his life, he continued his probe and brought to light several scams. Addressing the gathering he exhorted people to be simple and heaped praise on former Chief Ministers of the state K Kamaraj and C N Annadurai and former minister Kakkan.
It is however not certain if he would join a political party or float one. He urged his followers to love all and people in the bottom rung of the society. It may be noted that at the time of his resignation, he was also heading ‘Makkal; Padhai’ a trust working to reform society.
Sagayam started off his career as an employee of the Union Government but soon quit to write the Tamil Nadu government service exams, with the intention to serve the people of Tamil Nadu. In recognition for his honesty, the Election Commission of India (ECI) posted him as the District Collector of Madurai, a constituency where allegations of bribery had surfaced.
