Tapping: minister146;s resignation accepted

Ending days of indecisiveness, The Tamil Nadu Government finally forwarded the resignation of state Social Welfare Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna...

Ending days of indecisiveness, The Tamil Nadu Government finally forwarded the resignation of state Social Welfare Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna to Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, who accepted it on Tuesday. She had tendered her resignation on May 14, after transcripts of her conversation with a top vigilance official appeared in the media. When she put in her papers, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had said that he was ashamed by her action, but had not immediately accepted her resignation.

Though Poongothai denied putting the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption DVAC under pressure using her position, the transcripts revealed that she had pleaded the vigilance and anti-corruption director to go easy on her relative, an assistant engineer in the state electricity board, who was caught taking bribe.

Meanwhile, according to sources, after Poongothai8217;s exit, the present Animal Husbandry Minister P Geetha Jeevan will be given the charge of the Ministry for Social Welfare, while the latter8217;s ministry will be handed over to Pongalur N Palanisamy in addition to his Rural Industries portfolio.

This episode has also raised questions over Union Minister T R Baalu8217;s future. Critics, including Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa, had questioned the CM8217;s silence.

While congratulating Poongothai for her 8220;self respect8221;, Jaya had demanded response from Karunanidhi about Baalu. 8220;Karunanidhi might use this to make a show of his ministers taking the moral high ground. But the reality is different. We have the sordid example of T R Baalu who is a money spinner for the Karuna family,8221; she had claimed.

Meanwhile, the state Government has transferred Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Director S K Upadhyay. The statement, however, does not mention his new post. The officer was in the news after the conversation between him and Chief Secretary L K Tripathy, in which they were talking about a case against opposition leader J Jayalalithaa, was published in a daily here.