Finance Minister O Paneerselvam to Handle the Portfolios till Jayalalitha Resumes Work


BENGALURU: It’s been a week after Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha has been admitted in the hospital and Various Poojas has been performed by the supporters for the fast recovery. Since the chief minister have not yet recovered from fever and dehydration, the Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao allocated all the portfolios to finance minister O Paneerselvam.

According to the Times of India report, Jayalalitha will continue as the chief minister and O Paneerselvam will handle as the portfolios including public department, IAS, IPS, IFS, general administration, police and home. In addition, Paneerselvam will also take over the cabinet meetings. The source also reported that the arrangement was made as per the advice of Jayalalitha until she resumes the duty.

The official statement from Raj Bhavan also proclaims that Under Clause (3) of Article 166 of the constitution of India, governor allocated the subjects dealt with Jayalalitha to O Paneerselvam. The decision reminds us of MGR’s time, when he had flown to US for treatment and the time the governor S L Khurana implemented the same strategy of allocating the portfolios to V R Neduchezhian and Panruti S Ramachandran.

On the other hand, the opposition party DMK’s leader M K Stalin alleged that the state lacked the direction to handle the government after the chief minister being hospitalized. "There are many pressing issues to be dealt with, including inter-state water disputes. Cauvery case also comes up for hearing on October 17, and the north-east monsoon will be setting in soon. There is no dispute about having a responsible cabinet to handle the administration. There has to be a leader," Stalin said.

The TMC leader G K Vasan appreciated the decision and said that the government has acted as per the constitution. 

Read Also:
Apple, Samsung Take Battle To U.S. Supreme Court
India's Youngest State Telangana Gets 21 New Districts