DMK gen secy Duraimurugan alloted law ministry in reshuffle
In yet another portfolio change in Tamil Nadu, minister for water resources and DMK general secretary Duraimurugan was allotted the law ministry on Thursday. S Regupathy who was law minister has been designated as minister for natural resources with the portfolios of minerals and mines, the Raj Bhavan said in a statement.
Duraimurugan is the second in the pecking order after chief minister M K Stalin in the cabinet as well as in the party.
This move comes after controversial ministers and senior DMK leaders Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudi resigned from the TN cabinet on April 27. Balaji resigned days after the Supreme Court on April 24 asked him to choose between his post and freedom and a day before his next hearing. Balaji, was released on bail by the Supreme Court in a case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 26, 2024, after he spent 15 months in prison. He was re-inducted into the cabinet just three days later, and given back his portfolios of Electricity and Excise.
The top court has now closed the plea to cancel his bail. Ponmudi, was pulled up by the Madras high court over his vulgar joke on women, Shaivism and Vaishnavism. Ponmudy, was recently removed as deputy secretary of the DMK after his speech on April 6 created the controversy following which the Madras HC has initiated a sup moto case against him.
Stalin went with a minor reshuffle of his cabinet by allocating Balaji's heavyweight portfolios of Electricity, and Excise and Prohibition to Transport Minister S S Sivasankar and Housing Minister S Muthusamy respectively.
Ponmudy's Forest ministry has been allocated to Khadi Minister R S Rajakannappan as an additional charge. Stalin also brought back T Mano Thangaraj, who was dropped from the cabinet in September 2024. He been given the portfolios of milk and dairy development.
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