Sunday, Dec 15, 2002
Sunday, Dec 15, 2002 |
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Tamil Nadu
By Our Special Correspondent
The Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary, Jayalalithaa, who dropped the two Ministers, in an ``important announcement'' published in the party organ, removed Mr. Thambi Durai as organising secretary and Mr. Sundaram from legal wing secretaryship. In yesterday's sudden Cabinet shuffle, Mr. Thambi Durai, who was Education Minister, and Mr. Sundaram, who held the Revenue portfolio, were dropped. The move followed a petition filed in the Madras High Court against the Revenue department granting land ceiling exemption for Mr. Thambi Durai's educational institutions with retrospective effect.
Give and take controversy
On Wednesday, the court asked, the Advocate-General, N. R. Chandran, to produce details of a government order granting land ceiling exemption to 66 educational institutions, including one founded by Mr. Thambi Durai. Mr. Sundaram, as Minister holding the Registration portfolio, obliged him. The exemption granted to Mr. Thambi Durai's college was violative of Section 37-B of the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Land Ceiling) Act. This Section enables the Government to grant exemption to a trust for acquiring agricultural land beyond 25 acres for establishing an educational institution or hospital. But the exemption cannot be given retrospectively as was done for Mr.Thambi Durai's college. This was challenged by the colleges, which were denied exemption. As a party insider put it, "in one stroke, both the giver and the taker have been axed." The continued presence of Mr. Thambi Durai in the Cabinet would have become ``an embarrassment'' as the Education Minister, in his capacity as Pro-Chancellor of the Anna University, was to participate in its silver jubilee celebrations inaugurated by the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today. There have also been other controversies involving the Education department such as the recent suspension of the Director-in-charge of Technical Education on charges of irregularities in purchase of equipment. Mr. Thambi Durai is one of the seniors from the MGR era, having served as Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was also Union Minister for Law and Surface Transport during the period the AIADMK was part of the BJP-led Government in 1998-99. Mr. Sundaram was till now one of the ``trusted loyalists'' of the AIADMK high command. After handling the weighty portfolio of Public Works, he was shifted to the equally important Revenue Administration. He had been Minister ever since the AIADMK was voted back to power. With the latest reshuffle, the total number of `dropped' Ministers goes up to 23. The Cabinet strength comes down to 25. There was no visit by the Chief Minister to the Raj Bhavan this time, only a communique.
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