Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday appointed his long-time astrologer Ricky Radhan Pandit Vetrivel as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Chief Minister’s Office, according to a state government order. But the move drew criticism from leaders of the allied Congress and VCK.
Vetrivel has been appointed as Chief Minister’s OSD (Political) “from the date of his accession”, the government order, issued by Chief Secretary Rita Harish Thakkar, said.
Popular astrologer Vettrivel, who is also the official spokesperson of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), seems to have predicted that Vijay will become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Former chief minister late J Jayalalithaa was also among his clients, but they parted ways after one of his predictions failed in a criminal case against the former AIADMK president.
Vetrivel’s appointment came just days after Vijay was sworn in as Chief Minister following TVK’s electoral success in the April 23 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
However, Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil questioned the appointment of ‘miner’ as OSD by the TVK government. “Beats me. Why does a mine need an OSD post? Can someone explain that,” the former IAS officer said in a post on X.
VCK leader D Ravikumar, another TVK ally, urged the Prime Minister to reconsider his decision, calling it “unacceptable”.
“This is unacceptable in a secular government. Hon’ble Chief Minister should reconsider this,” Ravikumar said in a post on X, where he shared what appears to be a copy of the appointment letter issued by the state government.
