CM Stalin Rejigs Tamil Nadu Cabinet After SC Blow To Balaji, Ponmudy’s 'Vulgar' Remarks On Hindu Symbols
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has rejigged the state cabinet with the resignations of V. Senthil Balaji, Minister for Electricity, Excise and Prohibition, and K. Ponmudy, Minister for Forests and Khadi. Governor R. N. Ravi has accepted the resignations.
According to Raj Bhavan, Transport Minister S. S. Sivasankar has been additionally assigned the Electricity portfolio, while Housing Minister S. Muthusamy will handle Excise and Prohibition.
R. S. Rajakannappan will now oversee Forests and Khadi, being appointed as the Minister for Forests and Khadi, in addition to his existing Milk and Dairy Development portfolio.
Furthermore, Chief Minister Stalin has recommended the induction of T. Mano Thangaraj, MLA from Padmanabhapuram Assembly Constituency, into the Cabinet. He was dropped in an earlier rejig of the cabinet. The swearing-in ceremony for the new minister-designate is scheduled for Monday, April 28, at Raj Bhavan, Chennai.
Supreme Court Asked Senthil Balaji To Choose Between Ministerial Post And Bail
The reshuffle follows a Supreme Court directive that asked Senthil Balaji to choose between his ministerial post and continuing on bail.Supreme Court on Wednesday asked him to make a choice between post and freedom as it warned him of cancelling bail if he did not step down as minister.
Balaji was released on bail by the apex court in a case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 26, 2024, after spending 15 months in prison. He was re-inducted into the Cabinet three days later and allotted the Electricity and Excise portfolios he had held prior to his incarceration.
A senior DMK leader told Deccan Herald, “There is no option left for us now. Senthil Balaji has to step down from his post if he wants his bail to be continued. Legal advisors of the party are also of the opinion that he can’t remain in the Cabinet after the Supreme Court took a serious view of his continuance as a minister.”
K Ponmudy’s Resignation Follows Row Over 'Vulgar' Remark On Hindu Symbols
K Ponmudy’s resignation comes amid a major controversy triggered by his remarks at an event on April 6, where he compared Hindu Shaivite and Vaishnavite religious symbols to sexual positions in the context of a sex worker. Following the backlash, he was immediately sacked as the deputy general secretary of the DMK, although he continued to remain a Cabinet minister until now. The Madras High Court also initiated suo motu proceedings against Tamil Nadu minister K Ponmudy over his recent controversial remarks.
DMK deputy general secretary and MP Kanimozhi had publicly condemned the remarks, saying “Regardless of the reasons, such vulgar speech is unacceptable.”
Then-BJP President K Annamalai slammed DMK saying, “This is DMK’s standard of political discourse in Tamil Nadu”. “Thiru Ponmudy was once the Higher Education Minister of Tamil Nadu and is now the Minister for Forests and Khadi, and the youth of Tamil Nadu are expected to tolerate this filth? … DMK’s relentless attacks on the pillars of Hindu Dharma (Saivam & Vainavam) won’t go unanswered forever,” he posted.
Back in May 2022, Ponmudy, who was then the Minister for Higher Education, had also taken a jibe at Hindi-speaking pani puri sellers in Coimbatore and across Tamil Nadu, questioning the job prospects of those who learn Hindi, while speaking at the convocation of Bharathiar University in Coimbatore.
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