Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has recommended, and Governor R N Ravi has accepted, significant changes in the state Cabinet following the resignations of V Senthil Balaji, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise, and Dr K Ponmudy, Minister for Forests and Khadi.
According to Raj Bhavan, SS Sivasankar has been additionally assigned the Electricity portfolio, while S Muthusamy will handle Prohibition and Excise. RS Rajakannappan will now oversee Forests and Khadi, being appointed as the Minister for Forests and Khadi. Furthermore, Chief Minister Stalin has recommended the induction of T Mano Thangaraj, MLA from Padmanabhapuram Assembly Constituency, into the Cabinet. The swearing-in ceremony for the new minister-designate is scheduled for Monday, April 28, at Raj Bhavan, Chennai, reported Deccan Herald.
The reshuffle follows a Supreme Court directive that asked Senthil Balaji to choose between his ministerial post and continuing on bail. Balaji, who 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, was re-inducted into the Cabinet three days later and allotted the Electricity and Excise portfolios he had held prior to his incarceration.
Dr 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. 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.
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