SDPI urges CM Vijay to give greater representation to Muslims in TN Cabinet

The SDPI has urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to provide adequate representation to the Islamic community in the state Cabinet.

The SDPI on Thursday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to provide adequate representation to the Islamic community in the state Cabinet in the coming days.

Expressing regret that only one person from the Islamic community had been accommodated in the TVK ministry, Social Democratic Party of India, Tamil Nadu president Muhammad Mubarak said Muslims constituted a significant section of the state's population.

''I urge that the Islamic community be given due representation in the coming days,'' Mubarak said in a statement issued here.

Earlier in the day, Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to 23 TVK ministers in the presence of Vijay at Lok Bhavan during the Cabinet expansion, taking the strength of the Cabinet under Vijay to 32 ministers.

TVK legislator J Mohamed Farvas, who represents the Aranthangi Assembly constituency, took oath as a minister and was allocated the Labour Welfare and Skill Development portfolios.

Mubarak welcomed Vijay's decision to provide representation to coalition parties in the Cabinet expansion and said the induction of seven ministers from the Scheduled Castes was ''commendable''.

''I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the newly appointed ministers. I hope the new Cabinet will perform effectively across all sectors, protect the rights of the state, remain committed to the welfare of ordinary people, and implement schemes that safeguard the interests of farmers and workers while contributing to the development of Tamil Nadu,'' the SDPI leader said.