Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has recommended a significant reshuffle in the state cabinet following the resignations of Electricity, Prohibition and Excise Minister V. Senthil Balaji and Forest and Khadi Minister Dr. K. Ponmudi. The changes were promptly approved by the Governor.
As part of the reshuffle, SS Shivshankar has been assigned the additional responsibility of overseeing the Electricity Department, which was previously under Senthil Balaji. S. Muthusamy has been tasked with handling the Prohibition and Excise Department. Meanwhile, RS Rajakannappan has been appointed as the new Minister for Forest and Khadi.
In a further move, Chief Minister Stalin has recommended the inclusion of T. Mano Thangaraj, the MLA from Padmanabhapuram constituency, into the cabinet. A swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers will take place on April 28 at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.
Senthil Balaji faces ED investigation
Senthil Balaji, who had been facing a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was under significant scrutiny. The Supreme Court had recently instructed him to choose between his ministerial position and personal liberty, warning that his bail would be revoked if he failed to resign from his post. Balaji’s resignation followed these legal pressures.
Controversial Remarks by Dr. K. Ponmudi
Dr. K. Ponmudi's resignation came after a controversial remark he made regarding Shaivism and Vaishnavism, which stirred considerable criticism and controversy. His comments were widely condemned, and the matter reached the Madras High Court, where action was initiated. Although he was removed from a key party position, calls for his removal from the cabinet intensified from opposition parties and various quarters.
New cabinet changes and reassignments
In the cabinet reshuffle, Transport Minister SS Shivshankar has been entrusted with the Electricity Department, while Housing Minister S. Muthusamy will now oversee the Prohibition and Excise Department. These departments were previously managed by Senthil Balaji. The reshuffle reflects a strategic adjustment by the Chief Minister in the wake of the ministers' resignations and the controversies surrounding them.
The ongoing political developments in Tamil Nadu reflect the heightened tensions within the state government, with both legal and public scrutiny playing pivotal roles in the recent reshuffle.
