Chennai: In the first rejigging after taking charge as Chief Minister Of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin removed Transport Minister Rajakannapan from his transport portfolio and appointed him as the Minister of Backward Classes Welfare. The sudden rejigging took place after a BDO complained against the Minister stating that he used casteist slurs against him.
A press release from Raj Bhavan said, Rajakannappan who was holding the portfolios of Transport, Nationalised Transport and Motor Vehicles Act has been allocated to Sivasankar.
The portfolio of Backward Classes Welfare, Most Backward Classes Welfare and Denotified Communities Welfare held by Sivasankar has been allotted to Rajakannappan, as per a report on The Hindu.
It all started after a BDO from Muthukalathur made a video complaining that the Minister chided him based on his caste name.
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Rajendran, the BDO said, Rajakannappan shouted at him when he visited the Minister's home in Sivanganga on Sunday. He said, the Minister addressed him as "SC (Dalit) BDO" and threatened him that he would not be able to continue his position.
Following this, the CM told the Minister to mend the ways but it was to no avail.
Rajakannappan was a senior person who was previously with AIADMK and he served as a Minister during TN CM J Jayalalithaa's cabinet during 1991-96. He quit AIADMK to float his own party in 1996 but merged it with DMK in 2000.
In 2009, he quit DMK again to join AIADMK and even contested against Congress leader P Chidambaram.
Later, he joined DMK again and was allotted Transport portfolio when DMK assumed charge in May 2021 raising many eyebrows.