Radhika Selvi appointed as MoS Home Affairs

May 18: V.Radhika Selvi took an oath today as Minister of State in the Union Council of Ministers here. President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam administered the oath of office and secrecy to the member of the 14th Lok Sabha.

Selvi, born on January 29, 1976, represents the Tiruchendur constituency of Tamil Nadu and is associated with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) political party.

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Selvi, wife of a gangster, Venkatesh Panayar, and a first time lawmaker on DMK ticket takes over as junior minister for home in the union cabinet. Her appointment was expected after former Information and Technology minister, Dayanidhi Maran, was unceremoniously removed from the cabinet by DMK after the rift between him and his party, DMK. Maran's place at the IT ministry was taken over by A.Raja, who till that time served the Environment ministry. The vacancy for Selvi in Home ministry was created by shifting the incumbent S.Regupathy, to the post vacated by Raja. Both Raja and Regupathy are DMK nominees in the Manmohan Singhâ??s cabinet.

Selviâ??s appointment in the Manmohan Singhâ??s cabinet was being contested by various groups due to controversies involving her husband, who was killed in a police encounter four years back in Chennai. The don belonged to the influential Nadar community and the encounter turned them against the then chief minister Jayalalitha.

Selvi came into limelight for the first time when she campaigned in the Tiruchendur constituency with her little child in her hands. Her appointment has also been used to check actor Sarath Kumar's plans to float a Nadar-based political outfit.