Jayalalithaa sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Chennai, May 23

AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa was sworn in for the fifth time as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Saturday along with 28 ministers, nearly eight months after she was forced to quit over corruption charges.

Jayalalithaa took the oath in the name of God in Tamil in a simple function held at the University of Madras Centenary Auditorium here. Twenty-eight other ministers also took oath in a brief ceremony.

The 67-year-old AIADMK supremo was administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor K Rosaiah.

Earlier, she arrived at the venue in a green saree and was welcomed by Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Gnanadesikan with a bouquet.

Later, she introduced O Pannerselvam, Natham R Viswanathan and all other ministers before they were sworn in.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by BJP leaders, including Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and national office bearer of the party H Raja.

Actors Rajinikanth, Sarathkumar and eminent music composer Ilayaraja were among the long list of dignitaries who attended the function.

Jayalalithaa was seen smiling and having a brief conversation with Governor Rosaiah.

Several representatives from the tinsel world were also present at the ceremony.

The entire oath-taking ceremony, including signing of documents and other formalities, was over in less than 30 minutes.

On her way to the Madras University Centenary Auditorium, Jayalalithaa was greeted by party workers and supporters who gathered on either side of the road.

After Jayalalithaa took oath, the 28 other ministers were jointly sworn in by the Governor.  

Jayalalithaa has retained old faces when she was the CM during 2011-14. Her trusted lieutenant O Panneerselvam has been given Finance and Public works, which he held previously too. Natham R Viswanathan will continue to hold electricity, prohibition and excise portfolio.

R Vaithilingam will be the Housing and Urban Development Minister while S Gokula Indira will head Handlooms and Textiles ministry. B Valarmathi will be the Social Welfare Minister and Edappadi K Palaniswami the Minister for Highways and Minor Ports and Forests. The portfolio of forests was held by MSM Anandan previously in Panneerselvam Cabinet.

Other ministers sworn in include P Mohan (Rural industries), P Palaniappan (Higher Education) Sellur K Raju (Cooperation), R Kamaraj (Food and HR and CE), P Thangamani (Industries), V Senthil Balaji (Transport) M C Sampath (Commercial Taxes), S P Velumani (Municipal Administration, Rural Development, Law, Courts and Prison) and TKM Chinnayya (Animal Husbandry).

S Sundararaj (Sports), SP Shunmuganathan (Tourism), N Subramanian (Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare), K A Jayapal (Fisheries), Mukkur N Subramanian (Information Technology), K T Rajenthra Bhalaji (Information and Special Programmes Implementation), B V Ramanaa (Milk and Dairy), K C Veeramani (School Education), Thoppu ND Venkatachalam (Environment), TP Poonachi (Khadi), S Abdul Rahim (Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare) and D  C Vijayabaskar (Health) are the other ministers.

AIADMK supremo’s oath taking was marked by an truncated musical National Anthem followed by a full version played out at the end of the ceremony.

Prior to the commencement of the function, an announcement had stated that an abridged version (surukaa vadivam) of the National Anthem will be played before the oath-taking ceremony of Jayalalithaa and her 28 ministers.

It also said that a full National Anthem with words would be played out at the end of the programme.

The ‘Tamil thai Vazhthu’ was also played in tune with the state government norms on the occasion.

On both the occasions, when the National Anthem was played, people present in the Madras University Centenary Auditorium stood in respect.

Meanwhile, AIADMK workers across Tamil Nadu today broke into celebrations by bursting crackers, distributing sweets and playing traditional music, following the return of their party supremo Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister.

Partymen in several towns and cities of the state were also seeing distributing buttermilk, among other items, to people in public places, bus-stands and railway stations.

They broke coconuts in fulfilment of vows, played traditional drums and other music instruments to express their joy, shouting “Amma Vazhga...Amma vazhga (long live Amma).”

The jubilant supporters also put up huge hoardings and posters of Jayalalithaa on roads in various towns and cities besides party flags and festoons around.

Television sets were also placed at various points in Chennai to enable the public to witness the swearing-in live.

In Madurai and Coimbatore, some party workers tonsured their heads in fulfilment of their vows and conducted special ‘pooja’ at temples and churches.

In Coimbatore, a group of party workers performed ‘milk abhishekam’ (pouring of milk) on a portrait of Jayalalithaa.

Fishermen in Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai also joined in the celebrations, hoping that Jayalalithaa’s return as chief minister would improve their living conditions.

Meanwhile, a Madurai said AIADMK men, including supporters of Tiruchendur MLA Anitha Raddhakrishnan, who had been suspended from the DMK, celebrated the swearing of Jayalalithaa by distributing sweets and bursting crackers.

The swearing of Jayalalitaa was marked by jubiliation among the AIADMK caders who celebrated the victory in the disproportionate case by playing MGR’s song which praised the quality of dharma and its victory over adharma. PTI