Tamil Nadu: Massive reshuffle on the cards in State cabinet
If sources in the DMK are to be believed, a senior minister and at least a couple of junior ministers could be shown the door in the reshuffle which is expected before evening.
TN Cabinet; Udhayanidhi Stalin takes oath as Minister (File)
CHENNAI: A massive reshuffle involving sacking of three sitting ministers and change in portfolios of even a few senior ministers seems to be on the cards in Tamil Nadu.
If sources in the DMK are to be believed, a senior minister and at least a couple of junior ministers could be shown the door in the reshuffle which is expected before evening.
Highly placed DMK sources disclosed that state handloom minister R Gandhi, state forest minister M Mathiventhan, state environment minister V Meyyanathan, state dairy minister Mano Thangaraj and possibly state labour minister C Ve Ganesan could be axed and replaced with newcomers.
While performance and health is cited as the reason for axing Gandhi, who is resisting the imminent sacking, Mathiventhan was said to be volunteering to quit the cabinet.
Mano Thangaraj is in the line of fire owing to his tiff with Nagercoil mayor R Mahes, which angered the party high command.
Information trickling out Anna Arivalayam suggests that district secretary cum MLA ‘Panamarathupatty’ Rajendran of Salem would be one of the definite newcomers to the cabinet.
Race is on between district secretary plus former minister ‘Avadi’ Nasar and Poonamallee MLA A Krishnasamy to secure a minister berth.
District secretary fromThanjavur Durai Chandrasekar and Govi Chezhian’s names are also doing the rounds in the reshuffle.
Startling change in portfolios
However, the biggest surprise of the reshuffle could be the change of portfolios. Should the change in portfolios happen, as was rumoured in the DMK circles, portfolios of at least half a dozen ministers could change and some big names in the DMK could be left fuming.
A highly placed DMK source revealed that senior minister Duraimurugan could be stripped of the mines portfolio.
The real shocker was the rumoured change in the portfolio of ministers E V Velu and K N Nehru.
Going by information shared by party insiders, incumbent higher education K Ponmudi seems to be eyeing one of the portfolios, highways or PWD now held by E V Velu.
A sulking Thangam Thennarasu, who reluctantly took over as finance minister over a year ago, is also hoping for a desired change in portfolio, but the high command is unwilling to relieve him of finance portfolio till it finds a ‘suitable’ and ‘efficient’ replacement like PTR who is also hopeful of a rehabilitation in this round of ministerial reshuffle.
Another startling change could involve incumbent municipal administration K N Nehru, who seems to have fallen out with the leadership.
Though rumours of Udhayanidhi Stalin being entrusted with the plum portfolio are abuzz on the corridors of power, a decision in this regard is still pending with the CMO.
It has been reliably learnt that sitting Backward classes welfare minister Rajakanannapan could be entrusted with a major portfolio and it could involve a conflict with state transport minister S S Sivasankar.
Senior minister S Muthusamy could also be divested of one of his portfolios, Housing or prohibition/TASMAC.
Admitting that the reshuffle was overdue by two months and it was delayed in anticipation of the release of former minister V Senthilbalaji, DMK leader said that it was a matter of time before the CM gives effect to the reshuffle with the consent of the Raj Bhavan.
