IN TAMIL Nadu, the state to which he originally belongs, Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan, the latest to find himself in a gubernatorial hot spot, is known to be “the right leader in the wrong party”.

“I would say that he is the Atal Bihari Vajpayee of Tamil Nadu,” a senior DMK leader says, adding that the apprehension is that the Jharkhand situation, given the delay by Radhakrishnan in inviting the JMM-Congress alliance for swearing-in after Hemant Soren’s resignation, might end that well-earned reputation.

The 11th Governor of Jharkhand, Radhakrishnan made his mark in the Tamil Nadu BJP as a no-nonsense, results-driven, straightforward, pragmatic and “clean” leader. An RSS member from the young age of 16, he won two Lok Sabha elections from Coimbatore as a BJP candidate, in 1998 and 1999, the first time with the highest victory margin in the state in polls held soon after the bomb blasts in the town allegedly meant to target L K Advani. Radhakrishnan would become a BJP National Executive member and serve as the party Tamil Nadu president from 2004 to 2007.

Views were divided within the BJP over his appointment as Jharkhand Governor a year ago. While some saw it as a testament to his commitment and long service to the RSS and BJP, others noted that Radhakrishnan was moved out just when K Annamalai, handpicked by the high command as the BJP state president, was trying to find his feet in the party ranks in Coimbatore and western Tamil Nadu.

Yet to take over his new role, speaking in February last year at an event to felicitate him, Radhakrishnan described himself as “a proud RSS cadre”.

Like other Modi government-appointed governors, Radhakrishnan’s Raj Bhavan tenure has been eventful, though he commented once that governors should remain free from politics. Soon after he took over, he raised eyebrows for undertaking a tour of the state, while insisting that he wanted to act as a bridge between the state and Centre. He often asserted that his main focus was to improve the lives of tribals and underprivileged communities in Jharkhand, and in a rather political message, told The Indian Express in an interview, that tribals should be kept out of a Uniform Civil Code.

In the wake of the growing shadow of Central agencies over Hemant Soren, Radhakrishnan’s role has been contentious. Asked about why the Election Commission opinion on Soren regarding the issue of mining lease to him continued to remain sealed, Radhakrishnan had said persons who are found guilty will have to face consequences. He had also hinted at “difficulties” in revealing the same, without specifying.

Most recently, he called the Soren government’s FIR against CRPF personnel, for arriving at his residence while he was being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate, “a mistake”.

When DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin spoke about annihilation of Sanatan Dharma, Radhakrishnan waded in, referring to him as “a child” from Tamil Nadu, and said those who try to destroy Sanatan Dharma would perish by their own act.

In the interview to The Indian Express last February, Radhakrishnan had also said that he saw the Governor’s role as that of “a custodian”. “If a Governor is taken for granted and disrespected by the state government, it is not right… If the situation gets worse, the Governor has to act and cannot just be sleeping at Raj Bhavan… But if a Governor fails to act in an unbiased manner, then people can raise their voice.”

Now is the time for that test.