Chennai: Dr P. Thiaga Rajan (PTR) is now not finance minister of Tamil Nadu. In a cupboard reshuffle introduced Thursday, PTR has been allotted the knowledge expertise and digital companies portfolio as an alternative — a transfer political observers are terming a ‘large demotion’.
Thangam Thenarasu, who was industries minister earlier, has been appointed the minister for finance and human sources administration in his place. Thenarasu can even oversee the pension, economics and statistics and archeology departments.
As introduced on 9 Might, three-time Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) legislator Dr T.R.B. Rajaa — the son of celebration treasurer and MP T.R. Baalu — was inducted into the state cupboard and given the industries portfolio.
Minister for info and publicity, M.P. Saminathan, has been given Tamil improvement as a further portfolio. And Mano Thangaraj, who was earlier minister for IT and digital companies, has been appointed minister for milk and dairy improvement.
The milk and dairy improvement portfolio was earlier held by DMK MLA S.M. Nasar, who was dropped from the cupboard on 9 Might.
The Raj Bhavan, which issued the up to date record of cupboard portfolios Thursday, mentioned the Governor had authorised the adjustments on the advice of Chief Minister M.Okay. Stalin.
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Demotion for PTR?
Reacting to the reshuffle, PTR took to Twitter to say that the final two years had been the “essentially the most fulfilling” in his life and that “regardless of inheriting report deficits and debt ratios, we (state authorities) have invested in a report variety of social welfare schemes in addition to report capital spending, all whereas delivering record-setting fiscal enhancements”.
“That is the epitome of my public service, and certainly of my life,” he added.
PTR additionally thanked CM Stalin for the chance to serve within the cupboard, whereas including that he plans to “construct on the good efforts of my predecessor Mani Thangaraj to draw extra investments, speed up job-creation, and ship development at a tempo that may re-establish Tamil Nadu as a number one state in IT”.
He additionally mentioned that he hoped his expertise in “establishing and managing a pioneering International Functionality Centre 15 years in the past” and connections within the IT and ITES (Data-Expertise Enabled Companies) gained throughout his profession as an funding banker, would enrich his efforts in his new position.
The reshuffle comes shut on the heels of the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) releasing two audio clips purportedly of PTR being important of the DMK and its first household.
Whereas PTR dismissed the 2 audio clips as “fabricated”, CM Stalin reacted to the audio clips by saying that he didn’t need to “publicise these indulging in low cost politics” — an obvious dig at state BJP chief Okay. Annamalai.
Requested what the reshuffle meant for PTR, political analyst Sumanth C. Raman informed ThePrint, “Change in PTR’s portfolio was anticipated however not so quickly. Now, this will likely be related on to the audio recordsdata.”
“This can be a large demotion for him (PTR),” Sumanth added.
In response to political analyst G.C. Shekhar, PTR’s clear picture is why the declare that he might be heard within the purported audio clips as saying that Stalin’s son Udayanidhi and son-in-law V. Sabareesan are controlling the celebration, “gave larger credibility to what Annamalai has been saying”.
Udayanidhi, the minister for youth welfare and sports activities improvement, despatched a authorized discover final month to Annamalai, looking for Rs 50 crore in damages over the purported audio clips — dubbed ‘DMK Information’.
Reacting to the cupboard reshuffle, BJP state vp Narayanan Thirupathy mentioned in a tweet Thursday that if CM Stalin “didn’t settle for” that PTR was “incompetent in dealing with the finance portfolio, then it’s apparent that he was shifted for the audio leaks”.
“If he accepts so, then he has to apologise for appointing an incompetent particular person to handle the state’s funds,” Thirupathy added.
Thangam Thenarasu — new finance minister
Taking up the finance portfolio from PTR is five-time MLA Thangam Thenarasu, who Sumanth mentioned, “did a great job because the industries minister in Stalin’s cupboard up to now”.
Thenarasu was the varsity schooling minister in DMK patriarch late M. Karunanidhi’s authorities (2006-11). He represents the Tiruchuli constituency in Virudhunagar district and is the son of two-time MLA V Thangapandian, who was minister for cooperation in Karunanidhi’s cupboard (1996). His sister Thamizhachi Thangapandian is DMK Lok Sabha MP from the South Chennai constituency.
In the meantime, commenting on Rajaa’s induction into the cupboard, Sumanth termed it a “large elevation for a first-time minister”.
Mano Thangaraj, who has been allotted the milk and dairy improvement portfolio, performed a key position in revamping the state’s startup infrastructure with the Startup TN initiative and the Umagine Chennai platform. He additionally oversaw the ideation of iTNT Hub, which is India’s first rising and deep tech innovation community.
As for Nasar’s exit from CM Stalin’s cupboard, political analysts attribute it to the employees’ difficulty that has prompted disruption in Aavin milk manufacturing.
Earlier this yr, Nasar was additionally embroiled in two controversies. Within the first, he was caught on digital camera hurling a stone at a DMK employee purportedly over delay in bringing him a chair, whereas within the different, he was photographed shoving a DMK functionary on the stage throughout an occasion following Udayanidhi’s elevation as minister.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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