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TVK leader and newly-inducted Tamil Nadu minister P Venkataramanan on Sunday expressed happiness after being given a ministerial berth in the new government led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay.
Speaking to ANI, Venkataramanan said the ministers would work under the leadership of Chief Minister Vijay for the welfare of the state. "We are very happy and very proud to be citizens of Tamil Nadu. I have been given the Ministerial post, and under the leadership of our CM, we will do all the good things," said the MLA who won from Chennai's Mylapore constituency in the recent Assembly elections. The 48-year-old is an advocate by profession, and holds a Master of Commerce degree from Annamalai University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Periyar University, and an LL.M. degree from Annamalai University. He had defeated Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate Velu Dha by a margin of 28,972 votes in the recent Assembly elections A total of nine Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) members, including Ventaktaramanan, were sworn in as cabinet ministers in TVK chief Vijay-led government of Tamil Nadu. The list of ministers include TVK general secretary N Anand, also known as Bussy Anand who , won from Chennai's T Nagar constituency and KG Arunraj, who left the Indian Revenue Service to join the TVK and won from Tiruchengode constituency in the recent Assembly polls. Aadhav Arjuna, who won from Chennai's Villivakkam constituency, KA Sengottaiyan, a former AIADMK minister who worked closely with former chief ministers MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa and R Nirmalkumar, who won from Thiruparankundram in Madurai district were also inducted as cabinet ministers. Rajmohan, a television and film personality, TK Prabhu, a dentist-turned-politician who won from Karaikudi and the youngest MLA S Keerthana who won from Virudhunagar are among the others who were administered the oath of office today. The cabinet features a mix of both experienced leaders and young faces. The superstar-politician Vijay secured the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member House after the recent elections. TVK ended nearly a six-decade-old 'duopoly' of Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu following unprecedented success in the recent election results after securing 118 seats, the minimum required for a majority in the Assembly. The party received support from the Congress, which won 5 seats, along with the Communist Party of India (2), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (2), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), and the Indian Union Muslim League (2). The new coalition government has been asked to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly before May 13. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Sunday emphasised that his government would mark the "new beginning" and era of "real, secular and social justice." Addressing the gathering at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, Vijay stressed that he would "repay the debt" of the people after leaving behind his cinema career, adding that he doesn't come from a "royal family" but portrays himself as a common family member of the Tamil Nadu public. "I know very well about normal and common people's mind and how life is like for someone; I was born to an ordinary assistant director. I do not come from a royal family. I am just like your son, your daughter, your elder brother, or your younger brother--that is how I see myself. And it was because you saw me that way that you gave me such a great place in cinema," said Vijay. The TVK chief became the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967. (ANI)
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