CHENNAI: Was it a Freudian slip or a deliberate slip up? While addressing a gathering at an event to launch the ‘Tamil Puthalvan‘ scheme in Ramanathapuram on Friday, Tamil Nadu backward classes minister R S Rajakannappan referred to Udhayanidhi Stalin as “deputy chief minister”. He corrected himself and said Udhayanidhi was sports minister, but cadres could call him deputy CM after Aug 19.
Rajakannappan while addressing the meeting in Ramanathapuram, said, “There is a department for skill development headed by our deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin.” He quickly corrected himself saying Udhayanidhi was still sports minister. “But you can call him deputy CM only after August 19,” said the minister.
Talk of Udhayanidhi being made deputy CM has been making the rounds in power corridors. The speculation gained momentum in the wake of chief minister M K Stalin‘s US visit by this month-end. Last week, Stalin himself told reporters in Chennai that “time was not ripe” to elevate Udhayanidhi, hinting that govt had no plans to make him deputy CM anytime soon.
A senior DMK functionary close to Stalin, seeking anonymity, dismissed Rajakannappan’s comments as baseless, saying, “DMK has no such plans.”