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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin dropped two Ministers from his Cabinet on April 27, following enormous pressure; in one case from the Supreme Court and in the case of the other, the people.
The Supreme Court had sharply criticised Minister Senthil Balaji for continuing in the Cabinet and wanted him to choose between his post and bail on April 23; various sections of society, including the Opposition parties, had demanded the resignation of K. Ponmudy for his obnoxious comments about women, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism. Balaji had contended in court that he had a right to participate in public life.
Ponmudy had apologised for his remark, and was also removed from his party position. Stalin preferred to get the resignation of the two Ministers rather than sack them. A former Minister, T.
Mano Thangaraj, who was inexplicably dropped in September 2024, was re-inducted, a Raj Bhavan press note said. Transport Minister S.S.
Sivasankar has been given additional charge of the crucial electricity portfolio held by Senthil Balaji. The portfolio is critical because the DMK believes that the crippling power cuts ahead of the 2011 Assembly election (it was in power from 2006 to 2011) were among the main reasons for its defeat in that election. The other important portfolio held by Balaji, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, which procures and distributes Indian Made Foreign Liquor across the State, has been allotted to a former AIADMK senior who is part of the Stalin Cabinet, S.
Muthusamy. The Forest Ministry, headed by Ponmudy, has been given to another former AIADMK Minister, who is also part of the Stalin Cabinet, R.S.
Rajakannappan. With this, any hopes that the articulate P.T.
R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, currently the Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, might have had of being resurrected with a portfolio of consequence seem to have been dashed. PTR, who had earlier served as the Finance Minister, had created ripples in political circles when he responded to an AIADMK member’s request in the State Assembly for a software park, saying: “I have already spoken about the problems in my department during this session.
I believe if you ask someone with the funds, capability, and authority, they might get it done”. Many saw this as an open admission of his disenchantment with his current portfolio. Other Cabinet hopefuls will have to wait too.
One DMK leader said that the party did not want to be seen as defiant of the Supreme Court in Senthil Balaji’s case, though it is very clear that the Chief Minister decides who can be in the Cabinet and who cannot. The Supreme Court’s job was to deal with the facts of the case and decide if a person’s incarceration was correct or not. In this case, the Supreme Court had decided that Senthil Balaji was wrongly incarcerated for a prolonged period and enlarged him on bail in September 2024, he added (He was arrested by ED in June 2023).
‘Not a voluntary decision’ The main opposition party in the State, the AIADMK, had put pressure on the DMK government both inside and outside the Assembly to dismiss the Ministers. AIADMK’s national spokesperson said that dropping the two Ministers was “not a voluntary decision by M.K.
Stalin, keeping in mind...
the interest of Tamil Nadu and Tamil Nadu people”. In his opinion, this was because he was forced to do so by the Supreme Court. “The two Ministers are just the start, and many more are to follow.
Clearly indicates how MK Stalin is all hell-bent and DMK’s hell-bent to support scam-tainted ministers to run the cabinet. And how can he do any good for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu? The slap in the face of DMK, the slap in the face of M.K.
Stalin’s government and governance, and it’s a shame,” he added. Satyan was referring to the cases against the other seven Ministers in the Stalin Cabinet. On April 25, the Madras High Court had reversed the discharge of Agriculture Minister M.
R.K. Panneerselvam and his wife P.
Senthamizhselvi in 2007 and 2016 from two different disproportionate assets (DA) cases. The discharge of his son, P. Kathiravan, who was also an accused, has also been set aside.
Also Read | Senior DMK Minister Ponmudy sacked from party post for lewd comments On April 23, the court also reversed the discharge of DMK’s general secretary and Minister Durai Murugan and his family from a DA case. The judge ordered that the Minister, his wife, D. Santhakumari, brother Durai Singaram, his son D.
M. Kathir Anand and daughter-in-law, K. Sangeetha, must face trial in the case.
Ponmudy, K.K.S.
S.R. Ramachandran and Thangam Thennarasu are the others in the ministry facing DA cases.
In all cases, the discharges have been reversed. On November 29, 2024, the Madras High Court had dismissed a criminal revision petition filed by Minister Anitha R. Radhakrishnan and directed him to face trial in a case relating to assaulting AIADMK workers in Peyanvilai village in 2009.
A corruption case against Tamil Nadu Minister I. Periyasamy, concerning the alleged illegal allotment of a High Income Group plot in the Mogappair Eri scheme during his tenure as Housing Minister (2008–2009), has undergone legal developments. In March 2023, a Special Court discharged Periyasamy from the case due to procedural issues related to the sanction for prosecution.
However, in February 2024, the Madras High Court set aside this discharge order. Subsequently, on April 8, 2024, the Supreme Court stayed the trial proceedings, pending the resolution of Periyasamy’s petition challenging the High Court’s order. Besides these cases, there have been a series of raids against DMK seniors in the State by multiple agencies.
On April 7, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted simultaneous searches at the homes of Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru, his late brother’s house, K.
N. Ramajayam, his other brothers, K.N.
Ravi and K.N. Manivannan, and Nehru’s son’ Arun Nehru.
This related to alleged money laundering and GST evasion by the company founded by Ramajayam, True Value Homes. In November 2023, the Income Tax department had raided residences and other properties related to PWD Minister E.V.
Velu. The raids in 37 locations in the State related to tax evasion by businesses and other concerns owned by the minister, the IT department had then stated. IT later told the media that Rs.
22 crore was seized from the raids. ‘Many more raids’ The BJP is predictably jubilant over the series of setbacks to the DMK. Tamilisai Soundararajan said, “Senthil Balaji was sacked because of condemnation from the court and Ponmudi was sacked because of compulsion from the public.
This is a delayed decision by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister”. Two DMK leaders said that they expect many more raids by central agencies going forward. “DMK is prepared for these raids.
We will face everything in the court”, one leader added. Featured Comment CONTRIBUTE YOUR COMMENTS SHARE THIS STORY Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit.
