He was responding to a query from the media at Chennai airport before leaving for the US on a 17-day investment scouting visit. Asked whether there would be a ministerial rejig on his return, the Chief Minister was candid enough to hint that it was very much a possibility.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin (ANI Photo)
Heightening the possibility of an impending Cabinet reshuffle, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Tuesday said: “Change is the only remaining constant, wait and see.”
He was responding to a query from the media at Chennai airport before leaving for the US on a 17-day investment scouting visit. Asked whether there would be a ministerial rejig on his return, the Chief Minister was candid enough to hint that it was very much a possibility.
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Earlier, Stalin had scotched reports of an imminent change in his Council of Ministers. Even last week, he discounted that saying, “I haven’t heard of anything like that.” About making Udhayanidhi as the Deputy Chief Minister, his response was “the demand is gaining ground, but it has not fructified yet.”
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For nearly a month, elevation of his son and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin as the Deputy Chief Minister was doing the rounds along with a Cabinet expansion to accommodate young faces. This gained fresh momentum when superstar Rajinikanth, speaking at an event in the presence of Stalin, said with sarcasm that “DMK is like a school wherein the old students never leave a class room despite scoring top ranks, making it difficult for a teacher to handle them. Yet Stalin has handled them in a creditable manner.”
Soon, it was the turn of Udhayanidhi to make an appeal for the old guards to make way for youngsters. Taking the cue from the film icon, he said at a party function: “The youth are ready to join the DMK in large numbers and prepared to occupy responsible positions. We have to hold them by hand, guide them and make way for them. This is my appeal.”
On his US visit, the Chief Minister said: “I am continuing to visit foreign countries to attract investment for the state to ensure that Tamil Nadu becomes a one trillion dollar economy by 2030.” He also listed the investments that came out of his recent trips to the UAE, Singapore, Spain and Japan.
He will meet investors at San Francisco on August 29 and later will interact with the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. During the trip, he is expected to meet Google CEO Sundar Pichai as well.
The opposition, including the BJP and the PMK have demanded that the Chief Minister release a white paper on the investments his foreign trips have brought to the state so far.
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