Stalin Honours Commitments

Soon after assuming office as  Tamil Nadu Chie Minister  Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, 68, signed an order bearing  Covid treatment expense in private hospitals and  Covid relief of Rs 2,000 each to 2.07 crore rice-card holder as promised in the DMK’s election manifesto. The DMK  led by Stalin has come back the party to power after ten years. He was Deputy CM  under his father   M. Karunanidhi from 2009 to 2011. He has served as president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party since 28 August 2018.  Stalin was placed 30th on the list of India’s Most powerful Personalities in 2019 by the Indian Express. He was administered the oath on Friday, May 7 by Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Along with Stalin, 33 other ministers from his party also took the oath. The oath-taking ceremony was conducted following  Covid protocols. Fewer than 300 people were invited for the ceremony. Stalin will hold portfolios of Home, General Administration, Special Initiatives, Special Programme Implementation and Welfare of Differently-Abled Persons. His cabinet promises to be a balanced one featuring both the youth and the experienced. Many former ministers have been inducted into the Stalin-led cabinet. This will be the sixth time the chief minister will be from the DMK since 1967 when party founder C N Annadurai was first elected to the post. Stalin’s father M Karunanidhi held the post thereafter. In the 2021  assembly elections, the DMK led alliance that includes the Congress and other smaller parties have won  159 of 234 seats to wrest power from AIADMK. His promises to the electorates included  ₹ 4,000 in food relief for poor families, free bus travel for women and ten lakh jobs every year. the SPA led by DMK has bagged 159 seats with the DMK alone winning in 133 constituencies. The NDA has won 75 seats. Out of which 66 were bagged by the  AIADMK. BJP which has won four seats including the one contested by Tamil Megastar Kamal Hassan of the Makkal Needhi Maiam. He was defeated by BJP Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan in Coimbatore South constituency by a margin of 1,728 votes. When Stalin took the oath, beginning with the words “I Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin,” his wife’s eyes welled up in joy. CM’s elder brother, M K Alagiri’s son Dayanidhi and former union minister Dayanidhi Maran were among those present. The cabinet has two women ministers, P Geetha Jeevan, a former minister, who has been given social welfare and women empowerment and N Kayalvizhi Selvaraj who has been designated Minister for Adi Dravidar Welfare. Selvaraj, who is a first-time minister, had trounced BJP Tamil Nadu unit chief L Murugan from the Dharapuram constituency. AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam, leaders from alliance parties including Congress’s P Chidambaram, MDMK chief Vaiko and top state officials took part in the ceremony. Image courtesy: PTI edited by PKC