3 ministers dropped, 3 new faces inducted

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, JUNE 9. In a major ministerial shake-up within a month after the AIADMK Government took over, the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha, today dropped three Ministers, Mr. Ayyaru Vaandayar, Mr. Pollachi V. Jayaraman and Mr. R. Viswanathan, all holding key portfolios, and inducted three new faces into the State Cabinet.

The surprise ``sacking'' of the three Ministers even before they moved into their Ministerial bungalows came after Ms. Jayalalitha's half-hour meeting with the Governor, Ms. Fathima Beevi, at Raj Bhavan this evening.

According to a Raj Bhavan press release, the Nagapattinam MLA, Mr. R. Jeevanantham, the Orathanadu MLA, Mr. R. Vaithilingam, and the Udamalpet MLA, Mr. C. Shanmugavelu, have been appointed Cabinet Ministers on the advice of the Chief Minister.

Interestingly, Ms. Jayalalitha has sought to maintain the ``regional balance'' by inducting an MLA from the Coimbatore district, Mr. Shanmugavelu, in place of Mr. Pollachi Jayaraman. While dropping Mr. Ayyaru Vaandayar, who represents the Tiruvayaru constituency, she has brought in two MLAs from the Thanjavur belt.

Consequent to the new appointments, Ms. Jayalalitha has also effected reallocation of portfolios. While Mr. Vaithilingam will be the Industries Minister, Mr. Jeevanantham will be vested with the Agriculture portfolio, and Mr. C. Shanmugavelu, Milk and Dairy Development.

The Food and Cooperation portfolio of the dropped Minister, Mr. Viswanathan, has been given to Mr. P. Dhanapal, who was earlier in-charge of the Adidravidar Welfare department. With the exit of Mr. Ayyaru Vaandayar, the HR and CE portfolio has been allotted to Mr. P.C. Ramasamy, who was formerly the Agriculture Minister.

Mrs. R. Saroja has been put in-charge of Tourism instead of Backward Classes and Dairy Development, while Mr. A. Venkatachalam, earlier vested with the Tourism department, has now been shifted to the Backward Classes department.

While Ms. Jayalalitha was sworn in Chief Minister on May 14 along with five Ministers, the Cabinet was expanded on May 19, with the induction of 19 others. The Cabinet had met even yesterday.

Earlier, when Ms. Jayalalitha called on the Governor, media personnel, barring a crew from a private pro-AIADMK TV channel, were stopped at the main gate of the Raj Bhavan.

Protesting the ``exclusive privilege'' extended to the private TV channel, the waiting media persons squatted outside Raj Bhavan for half-an-hour, but to no avail as the police personnel refused to let them in.

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Section  : Southern States
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