Jayalalithaa sacks 3 ministers, inducts as many into ministry

Chennai, May 19: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today sacked three ministers and inducted as many besides rejigging the portfolios of some others.

She dropped Agriculture Minister S Damodaran, Labour Minister K T Pachamal and Revenue Minister B V Ramanaa from her council of ministers, a Raj Bhavan communique said.

Jayalalithaa, who is also the General Seceretary of ruling AIADMK, sacked six party functionaries, including Ramana, from party posts. While four leaders were sacked from party posts in Tamil Nadu, two were shown the door in neighbouring Puducherry.

In yet another reshuffle of the ministry after she assumed office in 2011, she re-inducted Agri S S Krishnamoorthy, S P Velumani and Gokula Indira, dropped on earlier occasions, into the ministry and they would be sworn-in tomorrow at Raj Bhavan.

Jayalalithaa also effected changes in the portfolios of some ministers, allocated Revenue Department to R B Udayakumar who hitherto held Youth Welfare and Sports Development. K P Munuswamy, who now holds Municipal Administration and Rural Develoopment, has been given Labour Ministry.

S Sundararaj will be the new Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare. He now holds Handlooms and Textiles departments.

PTI