CHENNAI: In the first ministerial reshuffle in the 10-month-old DMK government, the portfolios of ministers RS Rajakannappan and SS Sivasankar were swapped on Tuesday.
As per a Raj Bhavan release, based on the Chief Minister’s recommendations, the portfolios of Transport, Nationalised Transport and Motor vehicles Act held by RS Rajakannappan were given to SS Sivasankar, and the latter’s portfolio of Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes Welfare and Denotified Communities Welfare to RS Rajakannappan.
This comes a day after a Ramanathapuram district Block Development Officer claimed Rajakannappan on March 27 admonished him using caste slurs at Mudukulathur. “On Tuesday, I visited minister Rajakannappan with another officer to invite him for an event when the minister made casteist remarks,” said Rajendran.
Charges galore against transport dept
“He also threatened to transfer me to some other district. Finally, he asked us to get out of his residence,” Rajendran had said in a video clip that had gone viral. In January, the subject ‘sugar’ handled by Minister for Industries Thangam Thenarasu was allocated to Minister for Agriculture MRK Panneerselvam, and ‘airports’ held by Transport Minister RS Raja Kannappan was reallocated to Industries Minister Thangam Thenarasu.
Similarly, ‘Overseas Manpower Corporation Limited’ held by Labour Minister CV Ganesan was allocated to Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils Welfare Gingee KS Masthan. Two weeks ago, a DVAC team had seized Rs 35 lakh unaccounted money from transport department deputy commissioner’s office in Chennai.
There were also allegations made against transport department during Deepavali festival over procurement order for buying sweets for transport corporation employees being given to some private players. Later, the State government had issued an order to purchase the sweets from State-run Aavin.