Tamil Nadu Transport Minister RS Rajakanappan has lost his heavyweight portfolio after he allegedly harassed a Dalit officer in Ramanathapuram. According to a Raj Bhavan press release on March 29, the transport portfolio of Minister Rajakanappan has been allotted to Minister SS Sivashankar and the portfolios of Sivashankar including Backward Classes Welfare have been allotted to Rajkanappan.
This is the first cabinet reshuffle since the DMK government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin was formed in May 2021.
Political critics say that the controversy and allegations against Rajkanappan have been the biggest reason for the portfolio change. “The reason for the reshuffle was a complaint against Minister Rajakanappan for harassing Block Development Officer Rajendran, while the alleged incident took place on March 27. The minister harassed a Dalit officer by using casteist slurs. Hence, CM Stalin allotted a department looking after backward communities and their welfare to teach them a lesson,” said sources.
Meanwhile, this is not only Rajkanappan’s first controversy. He had faced several corruption charges and over the years, he had switched parties. He is a former minister in Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s first cabinet from 1991 to 1996 and was charged with a disproportionate assets case. Rajakanappan was a member of the AIADMK founded by MGR in 1972. He left the AIADMK in 1996 to form his own party, Makkal Tamil Desam, but merged with the DMK in 2000. In 2006, he dissolved his party and joined the DMK. In 2009, he left DMK again to join AIADMK. After more than a decade, Kannappan again joined DMK in February 2020.
These are the allegations of corruption against Rajkanappan
diwali sweet box scam
Allegations of malpractice have come to the fore in the tender for the purchase of 100 tonnes of sweets and spices for the transport officers and employees for the Diwali festival in the year 2021. A case of change in the terms of tender has come to the fore especially for a company with a turnover of more than Rs. 100 crore in defiance of the order to buy all sweets for government employees in Aavin, gave rise to controversy and condemnation. It is noteworthy that in this matter, Chief Minister Stalin directly intervened and ordered that the box of sweets should be purchased only from Aavin company.
Controversy over son and accompanying officers
There were allegations that his son Naveen and some of his associates were involved in various departmental activities including tenders.
Controversy over attacks on your allies
It was alleged that late last year Rajakanappan had thrashed his colleague, a civil servant and a police officer on security duty. However, the matter was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister and it was condemned.
Anti-corruption police raided the office of the Transport Commissioner
Minister Rajakanappan was accused of allowing bribery on a large scale at the regional transport offices and the transport commissioner’s office in the transport sector. After this, on February 14, the Anti-Corruption Police raided the office of Deputy Commissioner of Transport Natarajan in Chennai and seized an unaccounted amount of Rs 35 lakh. Apparently, Natarajan was transferred to Tirunelveli after it was alleged that the minister had acted in a way to save Natarajan.
casteist abuse
It is in this context that Rajendran (57), the commissioner of Mudukulathur panchayat union in Ramanathapuram district, recently publicly accused Rajkanappan of repeatedly insulting him by calling him ‘caste’. According to his statement, as soon as he entered the minister’s residence after the summons, Rajakanappan called him ‘SC (Scheduled Caste) BDO’ repeatedly at least 5-6 times. “The incident left me in extreme mental trauma,” the officer said. Minister Rajakanappan’s portfolio was changed even before the matter was taken up.
Following this, several politicians in Tamil Nadu have condemned the action of changing the portfolio of the minister instead of stern action. In particular, AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran said, “Does the Chief Minister think that Minister Rajkanappan, who has been accused of many, will become a saint if the department is changed?” Was this what he said when he came to power that if a minister commits a mistake, he will take appropriate action? Is this the Dravidian model invented by MK Stalin to make someone who has been accused of behaving in a casteist manner – a minister for the welfare of the backward classes who uphold social justice? He tweeted. Meanwhile, the AIADMK asked: Is Minister Rajakanappan’s portfolio a change, a gift or a punishment?
read all breaking news , today’s fresh news And IPL 2022 Live Updates Here.