Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has expanded his cabinet for the second time since taking charge in May 2021. According to an official release from the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, Doctor, TRB Raja will take oath as the new member on May 11 at 10.30 am.
Raja is a three-time MLA from Mannargudi and is the son of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP and party treasurer TR Baalu.
The statement said, “The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has recommended the inclusion of Dr. TRB Raja in the Council of Ministers to the Governor of Tamil Nadu. The governor has approved the recommendation.”
It added that the Governor has also approved the CM’s recommendation to drop Milk and Dairy Development Minister SM Nasar from the Council of Ministers.
Raja, a member of the State Planning Commission, will be the 35th minister of the state. With this, the state assembly, as per the rules of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, will have a maximum sanctioned strength of the Council of Ministers – 15 per cent of the total number of members in the House.
Nassar’s removal comes after two incidents. belonged to a dissolution Aavin milk supply to households in the state in March due to an issue with contract workers. another incident happened in January This year when the minister was caught on camera pelting stones at a DMK worker who was delaying bringing a chair for him.
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Cabinet reshuffle?
DMK sources say that there may be a reshuffle of portfolios of some ministers on the day Raja joins the cabinet.
According to him, Dr. P. Thiyaga Rajan (PTR) may be stripped of his finance portfolio in the upcoming reshuffle. The minister is at the center of one political controversy after two audio clip His critical remarks about the first family of the DMK were aired by the state BJP.
earlier this month, during his program Ungalil Oruvan-Bathilgal – Regularly aired question-answer shows on YouTube channels of DMK and Stalin – CM did called Audio files “Cheap Politics”. PTR was initially listed as one of the key speakers at a public meeting in Madurai to mark the DMK government’s completion of two years in power. However, he was later dropped from the final list of speakers.
Party sources also said that Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu is likely to be given the Finance and HR portfolio held by PTR, who in turn will replace Mano Thangaraj as Information Technology Minister.
(Editing by Zinnia Ray Chowdhury)