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States » SouthPosted at: Apr 26 2025 7:20AM


TN Cabinet rejig likely, two Ministers in judicial dock could face the axe

Chennai, Apr 26 (UNI) With the ongoing Assembly session to end on April 29,
a reshuffle of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet is on the cards with two Ministers--Electricity,
Prohibition and Excise Minister V.Senthilbalaji, who had drawn the ire of the
Supreme Court in a PMLA case and Forests and Khadi Minister K Ponmudy
facing flak for his intemperate remarks against women linking to Hindu religion
--likely to face the axe.
If the reports are to be believed, both the Ministers are most likely to be stripped off
from their Cabinet posts, in the face of widespread criticisms, which had caused some
embarrassment for the DMK government.
While Mr Senthilbalaji, who is out on bail in a Money Laundering case after being
incarcerated for more than an year and came back as Minister, was pulled up by
the Apex Court over his continuance in the State Cabinet and asked him to decide
by Monday on whether he wanted the Minister post or bail, Mr Ponmudy has been
facing public and political ire for his derogatory and uncivilised remarks, drawing
widespread criticisms from the Opposition and his ouster or removal from the State
Cabinet causing head ache for the ruling DMK and Chief Minister M K Stalin.
According to reports, the heightened speculation of an impending Cabinet reshuffle
arose amid increasing political pressure surrounding the two key ministers, Ponmudy
and Senthilbalaji.
The reports said the much anticipated Cabinet reshuffle is expected any moment as
Mr Senthilbalaji was running out of time to decide on his stand and the growing demand
for the ouster of Mr Ponmudy, who had already been removed from the post of DMK
Deputy General Secretary after his remarks went viral on social media.
Though the removal of leaders and functionaries from the Party posts would normally
be issued by the DMK General Secretary, perhaps, for the first time, Mr Stalin himself
issued a statement removing its Villupuram strongman Ponmudy from the post, after
the party faced backlash, not only from the Opposition, but within, indicating that the
party had taken a serious view of the issue with the elections less than year away.
Compouding Mr Ponmudy's woes was the Madras High Court initiating suo motu
proceedings after the police did not file a FIR against him despite the court orders,
and had issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government, returnable by June 19 (after
the court summer vacation) on a plea filed by an advocate seeking his removal from
the Cabinet.
If the reports are any indication, a reshuffle of portfolios of some Ministers was also
on the cards with former Finance Minister and the present IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga
Rajan (PTR) may be given charge of the Electricity Department--held by Mr Senthilbalaji
(also facing political heat in the wake of recent ED raids unearthing Rs 1,000 scam in
the State-owned TASMAC)--especially after he expressed his displeasure in the State
Assembly over his department not getting adequate financial allocation and authority.
The official announcement on Cabinet rejig is likely to be made in the coming days as
Mr Senthilbalaji, the Karur strongman of DMK, who was arrested in the cash for jobs
scam in June 2023, continued as Minister without portfolio and later resigned after
indictments from the court, before being re-inducted into the Cabinet two days after
being granted bail in September last year and now, facing strong criticisms from the
Apex Court over his continuance in the State Council of Ministers.
The Court held that he was granted bail on the ground that he was not a Minister and
that he had been under prolonged incarceration and questioned as to how he could
become the Minister again while facing a corruption case and that the court would not
hesitate to revisit its earlier order on granting bail.
Not only Mr Senthilbalaji and Mr Ponmudy, three other Ministers too are facing the
political heat, with the Madras High Court reversing the Vellore Special Court orders
discharging veteran DMK leader, party General Secretary and Water Resources
Minister Duraimurugan from two disproportionate asset cases on Wednesday and
Thursday and the same court passing similar orders against Agriculture Minister
MRK Pannneerselvam in a DA case registered by the DVAC.
While the Madras High Court, passing orders on revisions pleas filed by the DVAC
against their discharge by the lower courts, directed the Vellore Special Court to
conduct day to day trial and dispose of the two cases in six months against
Mr Duraimurugan and his family members, it had on Friday evening passed similar
directions to a Cuddalore District court against Mr Panneerselvam, while reversing
its discharge order.
Another matter is the recent ED raids against the Municipal Administration Minister
K N Nehru and his family members.
The Principal Opposition had already given no-confidence motion notices against
Mr Senthilbalaji, Mr Ponmudy and Mr Nehru, but the Speaker had disallowed them
to speak on the issue as the matter was under his consideration, leading to the
AIADMK members twice staging walk outs from the House.
At present the Tamil Nadu Cabinet has 35 ministers and the reshuffle, ahead of the
elections, could provide enough fodder for the Opposition AIADMK and its renewed
ally, the BJP, to cash in on during the campaign for the polls.
UNI GV 0700
Tags: #TN Cabinet rejig likely# two Ministers in judicial dock could face the axe
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