Jayalalithaa sacks yet another minister

Chennai:  Ahead of the elections to the state assembly in a couple of months, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Wednesday dropped Animal Husbandry Minister T.K.M. Chinnayya from the cabinet and also dismissed him from his party post in the AIADMK.

Chinnayya was the Kanchipuram East district secretary of the ruling AIADMK. He is the second minister to be shown the door by Jayalalithaa from her cabinet in just two months.

Last month, she dropped Milk and Dairy Development Minister B.V. Ramanaa and also dismissed him from his party post. However, no reason was given for dropping Chinnayya from the council of the ministers or removing him from the party post.

A statement issued by Raj Bhavan said Governor K. Rosaiah has accepted Jayalalithaa's recommendation to drop Chinnayyafrom the council of ministers, and to allocate the animal husbandry portfolio to B. Valarmathi, minister for social welfare and nutritious noon meal programme, as an additional charge.

IANS