Tamil Nadu transport minister stripped of portfolio after complaint from BDO

The action came hours after the BDO of Mudukulathur taluk in his native Ramanathapuram district alleged that Rajakannappan used casteist slurs against him

In the first re-jig of his 10-month-old cabinet, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday removed R S Rajakannappan from the coveted Transport portfolio and allotted him backward classes department, days after he used a casteist slur against a Block Development Officer (BDO).

Rajendran, the BDO, has complained that Rajakannappan had shouted at him when he visited him at the latter’s residence in Sivaganga on Sunday. “SC (Dalit) BDO,” this is how the minister addressed him, the BDO alleged and threatened him that he would not allow him to continue in any position.

As Rajendran’s public statement went viral on social media, Stalin sent a recommendation to Governor R N Ravi seeking to change his portfolio. Accordingly, a Raj Bhavan release said Rajakannappan’s portfolio – Transport, Nationalized Transport and Motor Vehicles Act – is being allotted to S S Sivasankar.

“The portfolios of Backward Classes Welfare, Most Backward Classes Welfare and Denotified Communities Welfare dealt with by Sivasankar has been allocated to Rajakannappan and (the Governor) re-designated him as Minister for Backward Classes Welfare,” the release said.

Sources told DH that the reason for Rajakannappan being stripped of the coveted Transport portfolio was his behaviour towards the Dalit officer.

Rajakannappan, an ex-AIADMK veteran who was in the J Jayalalithaa cabinet during 1991-96, was allotted the Transport portfolio when the DMK assumed office in May 2021, raising many eyebrows.

He had quit AIADMK in 1996 to launch his own outfit only to merge it with the DMK in 2000. Nine years later, he quit DMK to join AIADMK and contested as the party’s candidate against then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. He lost by a thin margin.

Opposition AIADMK and BJP weren’t enthused by the decision to change Rajakannappan’s portfolio rather than “sacking him.” AIADMK sought to know how Stalin will protect “social justice” when he does not have the guts to act against a minister who has used a casteist slur against a person from the SC. BJP demanded Rajakannappan’s ouster from the cabinet.

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