PUDUCHERRY: The three-month-old Rangasamy cabinet is to be expanded for the second time with T Thiagarajan, elected from the Bahour constituency as ruling AINRC candidate, all set to assume charge at 11.05 am on Sunday as the sixth minister of the UT. There are five ministers in office - P N L Kalyanasundaram, M Chandrakasu, P Rajavelu and N G Paneerselvam, and the Chief Minister. The 59-year-old MLA has been earlier elected twice from the erstwhile Kuruvinatham constituency in 1991 and 1996, representing the Indian National Congress (INC). Later, he became an MLA again in 2007-2011, when he was nominated by the Congress government. However, he did not get the opportunity to become a minister, despite hailing from the backward `gramini’ community, till recently. In fact, he was not included in the first list of five ministers recommended by Rangasamy. Luck smiled on him after the ministry of home affairs (MHA) rejected the candidature of Ashok Anand, recommended by the Chief Minister as minister, on the grounds that he was a co-accused in the CBI case filed against his father. The Chief Minister after some deliberation, decided to include Thiagarajan in the council of ministers and recommended him. Looking back, his switching over from Congress to NR’s All India NR Congress has proved to be beneficial to him.Any way, better late than never for the MLA from the rural area, who enters the cabinet with years of experience behind him. Thiagarajan first became a Government Whip when the Congress came to power after the fall of the DMK-TMC government in 1999 -2000. Thereafter, he became the parliamentary secretary to the Chief Minister in 2008 and continued up to 2011. He held the post of chairman, Puducherry Housing Board, first from 1994 to 1996 and then from 2000 to 2001. He also functioned as chairman of the Pondicherry Planning Authority from 2005-2006 and was also a member of the State Backward Class Commission. With such experience, Thiagrajan is expected to be given some important portfolios.Thiagarajan has studied up to PUC. Married to T Vanadarkuzhali, he has a daughter and a son. He enjoys helping the downtrodden and encouraging rural youth in sports. He himself is a sports enthusiast and plays badminton regularly. Besides, he enjoys reading and watching television
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