Historic shift: Vijay’s Cabinet marks Tamil Nadu’s best SC representation till date

Among all the Cabinets formed in Tamil Nadu so far, the one led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay features the highest number of Ministers from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. On Thursday, 23 Ministers took office. Among them, those belonging to the SC community include S. Kamali from Avinashi, V. Gandhiraj from Arakkonam, P. Mathan Raja from Ottapidaram, D. Logesh Tamilselvan from Rasipuram, and K. Thennarasu from Sriperumbudur. P. Viswanathan, Congress MLA from Melur, has also been inducted into the Cabinet and assigned the Higher Education portfolio. Apart from them, Rajmohan, who won in the Egmore constituency, is already serving as the Minister for School Education. This marks the first time that seven people from the SC community have been included simultaneously in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet. Prior to this, when the DMK Cabinet was reshuffled in 2024, four Ministers belonged to the SC community. When M.K. Stalin reshuffled his Cabinet in 2024, SC Ministers C.V. Ganesan, Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, and M. Mathivendhan were already serving in it. During the Cabinet reshuffle, Govi Chezhian, who also belongs to the SC community, was inducted into the Cabinet and allocated the Higher Education portfolio. With his induction, the number of SC Ministers in the Cabinet rose to four. People from the SC community have been part of the State Cabinet since the days when Tamil Nadu was known as the Madras Presidency. In 1937, under the Government of India Act, 1935, a short-lived interim Cabinet was formed under the leadership of K.V. Reddy, which included M.C. Rajah, a prominent SC politician and social activist. He was assigned the Development portfolio. In July 1937, in the subsequent Cabinet headed by C. Rajagopalachari, V.I. Munuswamy Pillai served as the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development. Following India’s independence, B. Parameswaran found a place in several successive Cabinets. In the Ministries spanning the period from 1949 to 1952, he served as the Minister for portfolios such as Khadi, Adi Dravidar Welfare, Rural Development, Cottage Industries, and Urban Development. In the 1954 Cabinet led by K. Kamaraj, he was allocated key portfolios including Transport, Harijan Welfare, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Registration, and Prohibition. After the 1957 general elections, P. Kakkan was included in the Cabinet, once again headed by K. Kamaraj, and was allocated the Public Works Department. In 1962, he was given the Agriculture portfolio. In 1963, when M. Bhaktavatsalam took over as Chief Minister, the crucial Home portfolio was entrusted to Kakkan. After the DMK unseated the Congress to capture power in 1967, Satyavani Muthu, one of the veteran leaders of the Dravidian movement, was included in successive Cabinets. From 1967 to 1974, she held portfolios such as Adi Dravidar Welfare, Information, Health, and Agriculture. Following this period, SC individuals have been represented in all subsequent Cabinets. Political analyst Stalin Rajangam says having seven SC members in the Cabinet is a progressive change. “Whatever the political reason may be, this will be a positive shift, and will serve as a benchmark for future governments. The allocation of key portfolios to them is also noteworthy,” he says. Rajangam points out that after the Congress regime, it was only in 2024 that a major portfolio such as Higher Education was given to an SC member, adding that the representation has expanded further under the TVK government. Punitha Pandiyan, former Vice President of the Tamil Nadu SC/ST Commission, shares a contrasting view. “Rejoicing over seven SC individuals securing ministerial berths is a superficial way of looking at this issue. None of the current SC Ministers reached this position by advocating SC politics. The TVK did not put forth such issues in its campaign. Rejoicing over this would mean trivialising SC politics,” he argues. With seven members from the Scheduled Caste community currently in the TVK government, this number could increase further if the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) aligns with them in the future.