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TN Minister stripped of transport portfolio after casteist slur allegation

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Chennai: Tamil Nadu Minister R S Rajakannappan was on Tuesday divested of his transport portfolio after an official alleged that the minister used a casteist slur against him.

On the recommendations of Chief Minister M K Stalin, the portfolios of transport, nationalised transport and Motor Vehicles Act held by Rajakannappan would now be handled by Minister S S Sivasankar, a Raj Bhavan release said.

Welfare of Backward Classes, the Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities department held by Sivasankar has been allocated to Rajakannappan and he is re-designated as Minister for Backward Classes Welfare.

The divestment of the portfolio, the first after the DMK assumed power in May 2021 assumes significance since the ruling party (unlike the previous AIADMK regimes) does not generally resort to it barring exceptions.

The move is a sequence to an allegation made by a Block Development Officer belonging to Ramanathapuram District. He had alleged that Rajakannappan had on March 27 rebuked him using caste name.

This post was last modified on March 29, 2022 6:48 pm

Press Trust of India

Press Trust of India (PTI) is India’s premier news agency, having a reach as vast as the Indian Railways. It employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.

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