Tamil Nadu: T Mano Thangraj takes oath as State Minister in reshuffled cabinet

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 28 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLA T Mano Thangraj on Monday took oath as a minister in the reshuffled Tamil Nadu cabinet after the resignation of V Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudy.
Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office. Chief Minister MK Stalin was also present at the swearing-in ceremony.
T Mano Thangraj, the MLA from Padmanabhapuram, has been allotted the portfolio of Milk and Dairy Development.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Thangraj expressed his happiness and said, "I have experience and this department deals with the poor agrarian people as well as the urban area customers where we provide milk to all the people at a very reasonable price... We have a very strong customer base as well as a strong producer base. We will be able to take the institution to the next level."
The Tamil Nadu government reshuffled the cabinet after the resignation of V Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudy and inducted Thangraj as a minister, offering him the same portfolio he held before the last reshuffle back in September 2024.
Additionally, SS Sivasankar, the Minister for Transport, has also been entrusted with the Electricity portfolio. He will henceforth serve as the Minister for Transport and Electricity.
S Muthusamy, who was previously the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, has now been assigned the additional responsibility of Prohibition and Excise, making him the Minister for Housing and Prohibition and Excise.
RS Rajakannappan, who previously managed the Milk and Dairy Development portfolio, will now take charge of Forests and Khadi and has been appointed Minister for Forests and Khadi.
V Senthil Balaji's removal followed a Supreme Court warning over his bail in a money laundering case, while Ponmudy was dropped due to his recent derogatory remarks that had sparked controversy.
Earlier in the day, BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan said that it is a "delayed decision" by the MK Stalin-led cabinet, saying that the ministers were removed only due to public compulsion and the court's condemnation.
"It is a delayed decision. The BJP has been demanding this for a very long time. This decision is out of compulsion. Senthil Balaji has been removed due to the court's condemnation, and Ponmudy has been removed due to public pressure... Both of them have been removed not because of a courteous decision but because of a compulsive decision," she told ANI.
She further expressed that just like the 'expulsion' of the ministers from the cabinet, it also symbolises the expulsion of the DMK government in the 2026 election. Taking a jibe at the DMK government, she also suggested that they should hold their ministerial meeting in the prison itself. (ANI)