A Raja takes over Communication and IT Ministry

Dravida Munetra Khazgam (DMK) leader Andimuthu Raja today took over Communication and Information Technology Ministry, left vacant by Dayanidhi Marans resignation.

New Delhi, May 15 : Dravida Munetra Khazgam (DMK) leader Andimuthu Raja today took over Communication and Information Technology Ministry, left vacant by Dayanidhi Maran's resignation.

Sevugan Regupathy, former Minister of State for Home Affairs, becomes the Minister of State for Environment and Forests, while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assumes responsibilities of the Environment and Forests Ministry from A Raja.

Today's reshuffle was necessitated following Maran's resignation, which came after the administrative committee of the DMK on Sunday passed a resolution to secure his resignation from the Union Cabinet. The demand came in the wake of what is termed as 'mischievous' poll surveys published by his newspaper Dinakaran and Sun TV that brought the succession battle within the party out in the open.

However, Maran has since been maintaining that he had nothing to do with the Sun TV or Dinakaran poll survey that said that M K Stalin should be Karunanidhi's political heir and not M K Azhagiri.

Karunanidhi and his party are apparently upset that the Maran brothers had not heeded his advice to call off the poll survey on who would be Karunanidhi's successor.

Maran, however, said that he wont' take any ministerial post even if it was offered now, and admitted that Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was upset over his quitting from the Cabinet.

ANI