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The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
AIADMK assails Congress, allies for bringing in caste dimension to Cabinet shuffle
AIADMK secretary A. Anbalagan said neither the Congress nor its allies had any right to rake up the replacement of the only Dalit Minister in the Puducherry NDA Cabinet when the Ministries of their past governments had no representation of marginalised communities. Addressing a press conference, Mr. Anbalagan condemned what he alleged were attempts of the Congress and its allies to drive a wedge between communities on the basis of caste for electoral gain. The AIADMK leader said though two Ministers, one from the BJP and the other from the AINRC, had been replaced for various reasons disconnected from their community background, the Congress was trying to create a controversy by injecting a caste dimension to these decisions taken by the leadership of the respective parties. He dismissed as an outright lie the Congress's claim that the Chief Minister Rangasamy-led AINRC-BJP coalition was the only government to not have Ministers from the Scheduled Castes community. Mr. Anbalagan proceeded to list list previous Congress Ministries, including the governments headed by the three-time Chief Minister M.O.H. Farook in 1985 or V. Vaithilingam later. Even the coalition government led by DMK Chief Minister R.V. Janakiraman (1996-99) did not have representation from these communities, he said. Both the Congress and the DMK are conveniently forgetting this history in their pretence of advocating for the Dalit communities, he added. Mr. Anbalagan said he would seek the party leadership's concurrence for petitioning the Election Commission of India to probe the declared election expenditure of the CPI(M) in Tamil Nadu to contest the 2024 general election. The CPM, which had received ₹10 crore donation from the DMK, has claimed that the money was used for electioneering in the two victorious Parliamentary constituencies. Even if that statement was taken at face value, the total expenditure could not have exceeded ₹1.80 core for the two constituencies. If given the go-ahead by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Mr. Anbalagan said he would seek an ECI probe into the discrepency in stated expenditure that raised a cloud over the legitimacy of the electoral wins in the two seats. Mr. Anbalagan assailed the Communist parties for serving as mouthpieces of the DMK at the expense of their ideological core. He pointed to the glaring contradiction of the Communist parties being rivals in Kerala and allies elsewhere, and said that it exposed their ideological compromises. Mr. Anbalagan also called for an intensive crackdown on the rising drug trafficking menace in the Union Territory, especially the Karaikal region. According to the AIADMK leader, Karaikal was also turning a conduit for smuggling drugs by the sea route. He urged the Chief Minister and Home Minister to convene a high-level meeting of the police top brass to discuss pressing issues.
New Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
John Kumar sworn in as Minister in Puducherry Cabinet Reshuffle
PUDUCHERRY: Kamaraj Nagar BJP MLA A John Kumar (59) was sworn in as a Minister in the AINRC-BJP government led by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Monday. The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan at a simple ceremony held at Raj Nivas. Speaking to reporters after formally assuming charge at his ministerial office in the Legislative Assembly complex, John Kumar said, 'It is a matter of joy that after 34 years, a Christian has been given an opportunity in the Cabinet. I am grateful and consider this a significant responsibility.' The BJP legislator from Kamaraj Nagar signed his first official document shortly after taking charge. Emphasising his priorities, he appealed to government officials to work honestly and focus on uplifting the underprivileged. 'I will Work for justice and for the welfare of the poor, downtrodden, and people living below the poverty line,' he said . On being asked about the support of Independent MLAs in securing the ministerial berth, he said they were all aligned with the BJP. Regarding portfolio allocation, John Kumar stated that the decision is expected to be announced by Monday evening or Tuesday. Prior to his swearing-in, John Kumar resigned from his post as Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister. He continues to operate from the same office he used in his previous role as parliamentary to CM , now redesignated as his ministerial chamber. John Kumar was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan at a ceremony held at Raj Nivas.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Minister, three nominated legislators to be sworn-in on Monday
The swearing-in ceremony of the newly-appointed Minister and three nominated legislators of the Puducherry Assembly will be held on Monday. While Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan will administer the oath to the newly-appointed BJP Minister, A. John Kumar at the Raj Nivas, the nominated legislators, V. Selvam, E. Theeppainthan and G.N.S Rajasekaran, will be sworn-in by Speaker R. Selvam in his chamber at the Legislative Assembly complex. The Ministry of Home Affairs had cleared the name of Mr. Kumar, and three nominated legislators belonging to the BJP on Friday, after the BJP leadership initiated a reshuffle of its Minister in the Cabinet and the legislature wing. Two weeks ago, on the directions of the party highcommand, A. K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar, the lone Dalit representative in the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy had resigned. Similarly, V. P. Ramalingam, K. Venkatesan and R. B. Ashok Babu were also forced to resign to effect the changes. The latest is the second reshuffle in Mr. Rangasamy's Cabinet after the AINRC-BJP combine came to power in 2021. Two years ago, S. Chandira Priyanga, representing the reserved Nedungadu Assembly segment in Karaikal region, resigned from the Cabinet after the Chief Minister felt her performance in the Ministry was not satisfactory. She was replaced with P. R. N. Thirumurgan, representing the general constituency of Karaikal North.
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP leader expresses disappointment over lack of Dalit representation in Puducherry Cabinet
Former president of the BJP in Puducherry, V. Saminathan, has expressed disappointment over the exclusion of a Dalit member from the Cabinet of the AINRC-BJP government in the Union Territory (UT). In a statement, he said the Dalit community had no representation in the NDA ministry in the UT after the resignation of BJP legislator A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar from the Cabinet last week. Almost all ministries in Puducherry, for the last five decades, have had Dalit representation, he said, adding that the exclusion of the community from the Cabinet was against the principles of social justice and democracy. 'It is deeply disappointing to see that the community has no representation in the Cabinet. Population-wise, the Dalit community constitutes the second-largest grouping in the UT. The community is also angry with the government for not giving adequate representation in the Cabinet. If the Centre and Puducherry governments fail to address this issue, it will reflect in the next Assembly elections,' he said. He urged the Centre and Puducherry governments to immediately appoint a Dalit member as Minister in the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy.
The Hindu
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ruling BJP faces yet another challenge after resignation of lone Dalit Minister
The BJP is facing a difficult transition, after it sought the resignation of a Minister belonging to the Dalit community and three of its nominated legislators, especially given that the party will, in a few months, seek a second term for its coalition government with the AINRC in the 2026 Assembly elections. In a sudden development on June 27, the lone Dalit member, A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar, submitted his resignation from the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy. Around the same time, three of the nominated legislators of the party — V.P. Ramalingam, K. Venkatesan and R.B. Ashok Babu — submitted their papers to the Speaker R. Selvam. The resignation of the legislators was duly notified by the Assembly Secretariat, just hours after the members put in their papers. However, in the case of the Minister's resignation, what remains in the public domain are the remarks made by the Chief Minister after meeting Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan at the Raj Nivas in the evening of July 27 — that the government had decided to accept Mr. Kumar's resignation. Though almost 11 days have passed since the Chief Minister made those remarks, no notification has been issued declaring Mr. Kumar's resignation from the AINRC-BJP government, setting off intense speculation in political circles. 'The usual practice is once the resignation is forwarded to the Lt. Governor by the Chief Minister,the L-G sends it to the Ministry of Home Affairs [MHA]. After it gets Presidential clearance, the Confidential and Cabinet Department issues a notification. We have not received any communication from the Centre, so far, on the resignation of the Minister,' said a source in the Union Territory administration. Mr. Kumar, while speaking to reporters after submitting his papers, had told the media that he had put in papers as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'I was appointed by Mr. Modi, and now he has asked me to resign,' he said. Till now, the BJP leadership has maintained a steady silence on Mr. Kumar's resignation, while the Opposition, especially the Congress, has raised questions on the 'removal' of the second Dalit Minister from the AINRC-BJP government in Puducherry. Two years ago, the AINRC legislator representing the reserved Nedungadu Assembly segment in Karaikal, S. Chandira Priyanga, was removed from the Cabinet as the Chief Minister was 'not happy' with the way she handled the portfolios. She was replaced with P.R.N. Thirumurugan, who represents the general constituency of Karaikal North. The present resignation of Mr. Kumar, according to a BJP insider, was based on a pre-arrangement during the time of government formation. 'It was decided, at the time of government formation, that a Cabinet berth would be shared between two legislators for a tenure of two and a half years. But now, it is the fag end of the Ministry, as the Model Code of Conduct will come into force in six to seven months. We do not know what compelled the leadership to invoke changes now, especially when Mr. Kumar was the sole Dalit representation and we don't have another legislator from the community to replace him. It was an ill-thought-out decision,' he said. According to another leader, the party had made it easier for the Opposition to corner the BJP even at the national level. Another challenge was finding a replacement for Mr. Kumar, considering the delicate caste equation within the party's legislature wing. Since the formation of the first NDA government in Puducherry, the BJP has been facing one challenge after the other, especially after the defeat from the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry. After the defeat, three of its legislators have been making open statements, and taking an independent political stand. During the four-and-a-half year tenure, the party also drew flak for compromising its core ideology when two of its legislators and their family came under severe criticism from the Madras High Court for usurping a temple land. 'The present resignation of the Minister and legislators is the biggest challenge, and that is the reason why the party's Central leadership was taking time to find replacements. Even though the Speaker had publicly said that three new members were going to be appointed as nominated legislators soon, there has been no communication from the MHA regarding this. So, it means the Central leadership was taking its time,' a member of Sangh Parivar-affiliated organisation said.
