Stalin’s 1st cabinet is mixed bag of experience & youth

Stalin’s 1st cabinet is mixed bag of experience & youth

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.05.2021

It is a mix of old timers, young and new faces in the 34-member cabinet of M K Stalin that will steer the state government for the next five years. The DMK chief has inducted15 new faces, reinforcing the party’s commitment to bring in versatility, but kept his son and first time MLA Udhayanidhi out of the council of ministers.

There are two women members, former minister P Geetha Jeevan, and N Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, who defeated BJP president L Murugan in Dharapuram in Tirupur district by a slender margin. The new faces include former party whip R Sakkarapani, Vellore East district secretary R Gandhi, Chennai former mayor Ma Subramanian, P K Sekar Babu (Harbour), Palanivel Thiagarajan (Madurai Central), and Thiruverumbur MLA and close confidante of Udhayanidhi, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.

The party has rewarded erstwhile heavyweights of the AIADMK, who switched loyalties in the past two decades, including K K S S R Ramachandran, S Muthusamy, S R Rajakannappan, Anitha R Radhakrishnan and V Senthil Balaji. Ramachandran had served in the cabinets led by M G Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi, holding PWD, cooperation, health and BC welfare portfolios. Erode strongman Muthusamy was minister in MGR and Jayalalithaa regimes, before switching sides. Senthil Balaji has been rewarded for helping the DMK win all four seats in Karur district for which he was in charge. Rajakannappan was an influential minister in Jayalalithaa’s first cabinet and briefly led a party, Makkal Tamil Desam.

“About half the cabinet is new. It consists of rich, experienced partymen and able youngsters, who can deliver the best to the state,” DMK Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson T K S Elangovan said. Except for K Ponmudi, who got back the higher education portfolio and Geetha Jeevan, social welfare, other seniors did not get previously held portfolios. Thangam Thennarasu, who was speculated to retain school education, has been given industries.

In a statement later in the day, Stalin explained the rationale behind formation of a new ministry called water resources, and changes in nomenclature of a few other ministries, including agriculturefarmers’ welfare, environment-climate change, medical and family welfare, fisheriesfishermen welfare, labour welfare and skill development, information, social welfare and women empowerment, human resources management and non-resident Tamils welfare.

“Functioning of the ministries and departments have undergone changes in the current situation. There is a compulsion to change the names of the ministries and departments with a long-term vision, considering the expectations of people, welfare of workforce, confronting challenges, the fixed targets and government goals,” Stalin said.