Transport minister Senthil Balaji removed from TN cabinet
The AIADMK supremo also stripped him of the party Karur district secretary post
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-07-28 03:17 GMT
Chennai: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday removed transport minister V. Senthil Balaji from the state cabinet. The AIADMK supremo also stripped him of the party Karur district secretary post. An official communication from Raj Bhavan said Governor K Rosiah had accepted the recommendation of the Chief Minister to drop V Senthil Balaji from the council of ministers and also accepted the recommendation of allocating the transport ministry portfolio to state industries minister P. Thangamani.
A statement from AIADMK party HQ said that the party general secretary has removed Balaji from the posts he held and advised party workers to extend their support to P. Thangamani who will handle the affairs of the party in Karur till someone else is appointed.
Earlier in the day, Senthil Balaji along with other ministers greeted the CM, but as the party’s official channel Jaya TV flashed the news of a change in the ministry, Balaji left the secretariat without meeting party workers and left his official convoy behind. Though no official reason was attributed for the removal of Balaji from the cabinet, party sources said that there were issues related to administration and appointments in the state transport ministry.
Balaji had held the transport portfolio ever since the AIADMK government took over in 2011. His name always made rounds for top party posts and he has been a member of the assembly representing Karur since 2006. He had been a dynamic party worker as district secretary for the past 14 years and also held the post of president of the student’s wing. Balaji was always at the forefront of prayers, demonstrations and election campaigns for the ruling AIADMK and during the R K Nagar bypoll, he was seen pounding the narrow streets with an LED light on his head that resembled the party’s two-leaves symbol.