Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has imposed a temporary restriction on ministers attending community events, aiming to prevent avoidable controversies arising from public remarks.
The cabinet under Vijay has 34 ministers, with most of them being first-timers and several younger faces handling key portfolios. The Chief Minister has stressed that the government should focus on delivering people-centric schemes and maintain a clean administration without irregularities.
At a recent cabinet meeting, 436 long-term projects were reportedly drawn up for implementation across departments, and ministers were instructed to execute them. Vijay has also warned that swift action would be taken if any minister commits wrongdoing, prompting heightened caution among the cabinet.
However, statements made during field inspections and interactions with the media have triggered criticism in recent days. The report cites controversies linked to remarks by Transport Minister Vijay Tamizhan Parthiban, Environment Minister Rajiv and HR&CE Minister Ramesh, while ministers Srinath and Kumar faced backlash after responding “no comments” to a question on Katchatheevu.
With community leaders and others inviting ministers to community and private functions, the Chief Minister has directed that ministers should not participate in such events for the time being. Ministers have also been advised to avoid getting drawn into disputes until the Assembly budget presentation, grant-demand debates and by-elections in five constituencies are completed.
Separately, party sources said Vijay has instructed MLAs not to wait for district-in-charge ministers to inaugurate constituency offices. MLAs have been told to open their offices quickly, visit daily, receive petitions from the public, address grievances and maintain registers of visitor details and requests.
