In Stalin's cabinet rehaul, Durai Murugan loses mineral resource portfolio amid ED probe

Just after the gala celebrations marking four years of his regime, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has reshuffled his cabinet by removing the prestigious Minerals and Mines portfolio from the senior-most minister, Durai Murugan and assigning him the Law Ministry.

This reshuffle follows the dropping of two senior ministers, V. Senthil Balaji and K. Ponmudy, from his cabinet just two weeks ago as they were facing cases related to money laundering cases and derogatory remarks against women.

Durai Murugan replaced by S Regupathy

According to a release from the Raj Bhavan, the Law portfolio has been allocated to Durai Murugan, while the Minerals and Mines portfolio has been assigned to S. Regupathy, based on the recommendation of Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Regupathy, who previously held the Law portfolio, has now been designated as the Minister for Natural Resources, a department formerly known as the Ministry of Minerals and Mines.

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Durai Murugan has been the second most prominent leader in the party after Stalin. He was overseeing the Departments of Water Resources and Mineral Resources. He also serves as the DMK’s General Secretary and Leader of the House.

Accused of enabling mineral looting

Allegations related to the looting of mineral resources from Tamil Nadu to nearby states like Kerala surfaced in the recent assembly session. AIADMK’s Deputy Leader of the Opposition, R.B. Udhayakumar, raised concerns about minerals being transported in hundreds of lorries to neighbouring states during the assembly session held last month.

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In response, Minister Durai Murugan did not refute the allegations but criticized that the looting was ongoing during the AIADMK regime as well. He stated, "The member is speaking as if the lorries started moving only after we came to power. This happened even during your (AIADMK) regime,’’ Durai Murugan said.

Sand prices increase

Meanwhile, there were complaints about the high cost of M-sand and river sand across Tamil Nadu. Several protests broke out against the increasing price of sand.

To contain the protests, the Tamil Nadu government conducted consultations with construction industry experts and announced an immediate reduction in the price of M-sand and river sand by ₹1,000. However, the issue of mineral looting still haunts the DMK government.

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Sources said that the entry of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the mineral resource issue has added more pressure on the government. The DMK government feared that such developments during election time could damage its reputation. Following this, the crucial Mineral Resources Department was taken back from Minister Durai Murugan and, in its place, the Law portfolio was assigned to him.

Criticised for derogatory comments

A month ago, several disability rights groups criticised Durai Murugan for allegedly referring to persons with disabilities “in a derogatory manner” in a public meeting.

Sources said Durai Murugan was asked by the party high command to tender an unconditional apology and the same was shared with the media by the DMK headquarters in mail.