Chennai: Soon after winning the floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with 144 votes on Wednesday, chief minister Vijay showed the door to astrologer Rickey Radhan Pandit Vetrivel who he had appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Political.
Vetrivel had been appointed barely a day earlier on Tuesday.
This came after the appointment caused a huge row, with both allies and opponents of the TVK speaking out against it, as reported by The Hindu.
Key ally, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) – which offered its two seats in support of the chief minister – was among the critics.
VCK general secretary D Ravikumar had earlier said: “This is unacceptable in a secular government. It is the government’s duty to foster a scientific outlook…” and demanded his dismissal. And the Left too was unhappy.
After the party won the floor test, leader C T Nirmal Kumar told reporters that Vetrivel – who reportedly predicted Vijay’s win and whose counsel persuaded the actor-politician to reschedule his oath-taking ceremony – was to serve as a media spokesperson and his profession is irrelevant.
“He is our media person… our media spokesperson. He can be from any profession but has been appointed as a media handler,” he told reporters after the TVK sailed through the vote.
The issue of Vetrivel’s appointment came in a big way during the statements given by leaders of different parties during the vote.
DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakanth left no doubt she was against Vetrivel’s appointment. “I condemn the appointment of an astrologer as Chief Minister’s OSD. What message do you want to send to the youth? If he is your astrologer, keep him as your personal choice,” she thundered, as reported by NDTV.
The Congress – whose five seats are critical for the TVK – was also unhappy with the appointment. In a post on X, MP Sasikanth Senthil said, “Beats me. Why would an astrologer require OSD position?? Can anyone explain.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party – which won just one seat in this election – seemed to be on Vijay’s side, even though the TVK chief made it clear there was no love lost with the saffron party. In fact, he even called the BJP his ‘ideological enemy’.
Astrologers and political leaders — especially in south India — have a close connect and Vettrivel – originally from Erode – had a high-profile client list, including former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
Major political decisions during the AIADMK leader’s tenure were taken after consulting the astrologer, reports suggest. The two apparently fell out after his prediction that Jayalalithaa would not go to jail in the disproportionate assets case flopped.
