For the first time in 18 years, Tamil Nadu will not have a Cabinet-rank Minister at the Centre.
It has to be content with a single ministerial berth.
BJP State president Pon. Radhakrishnan, elected from Kanyakumari, has been accommodated as a Minister of State (MoS) in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.
From 1996, either the DMK or the AIADMK was part of the United Front, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments and were given important portfolios.
Though another Minister of State (Independent charge) Nirmala Sitharaman has her roots in Tamil Nadu, she is now a Hyderabad resident and is likely to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from some other State.
The hopes of Anbumani Ramadoss of the PMK, the only ally of the BJP that could win a seat, becoming a Minister were dashed.
Sources say BJP president Rajnath Singh promised him a berth during Cabinet expansion.
Disappointment Even for Mr. Radhakrishnan, who has contested many elections but won only twice, and was a minister in the A.B. Vajpayee government, the present position has come as a disappointment.
A senior BJP leader said the decision not to give Mr. Radhakrishnan a Cabinet post had to be seen in the context of the composition of the ministry that took office on Monday. “Mr. Modi had decided to keep the number of Cabinet Ministers to the minimum. This meant that only senior leaders could be accommodated. This may be remedied in a reshuffle,” the leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Proportionateto performance The representation given to Tamil Nadu in the Cabinet was proportionate to the NDA’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections. “We expected more, but won just two seats. Mr. Anbumani has a CBI charge sheet pending against him. The party wanted to avoid unnecessary controversies,” the BJP leader said.
Though the ruling AIADMK had swept the polls, winning 37 of the 39 seats, the BJP secured a majority, and did not require the support of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
