Tamil Nadu govt revokes astrologer’s appointment as OSD to CM Vijay after backlash

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday revoked the appointment of astrologer Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty OSD to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay following widespread criticism from opposition parties and even some allies of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam TVKThe decision came less than 24 hours after the appointment order was issuedAn official order released by the Principal Secretary to the Government confirmed that the appointment had been cancelled with immediate effectldquoThe order issued regarding the appointment of Thiru Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty OSD to the Chief Minister is hereby revokedrdquo the notification statedThe rapid reversal highlighted the political controversy triggered by the appointment of an astrologer to a senior administrative and political role within the Chief Ministerrsquos OfficeOpposition attacks govt over astrologer appointmentThe appointment became a major talking point in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with opposition leaders strongly criticising the move during House proceedingsDMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth condemned the decision and questioned the governmentrsquos judgment in assigning an astrologer to an important political postLeaders from other opposition parties and DMK allies also criticised the appointment arguing that astrology should not influence government administrationMJK president and MLA Thamimun Ansari said personal beliefs were separate from governance and should not become part of official decisionmakingSimilarly Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan mocked the appointment saying an astrologer could only make predictions and would still require proper administrative advisors familiar with government procedures and rulesRickey Radhan Pandit known as TVK spokespersonRickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel has been associated with the TVK leadership and was active during the partyrsquos election campaignApart from being known as an astrologer he also functioned as a spokesperson for the party and was considered close to sections of the leadershipFollowing Vijayrsquos swearingin as chief minister he was appointed as OSD to handle political affairs linked to the Chief Ministerrsquos OfficeHowever the appointment quickly drew criticism across the political spectrum and became politically sensitive for the newly formed governmentAIADMK and DMK leaders target Vijay govtThe controversy also provided ammunition to opposition parties with leaders taking sharp digs at the ruling TVKIS Inbadurai mocked the astrologerrsquos removal in a post on X saying the astrologer ldquofailed to predict his own faterdquoOpposition parties used the issue to question the functioning of the Vijayled administration which recently secured a comfortable trust vote in the AssemblyTVK govt seeks to contain political damageThe revocation comes at a crucial time for the TVK government which is still consolidating support after emerging as the singlelargest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly electionsThe government had earlier passed the floor test with support from alliance partners and rebel AIADMK MLAs securing 144 votes in favourHowever the astrologer appointment controversy briefly overshadowed the governmentrsquos political momentum and triggered criticism from both opposition parties and alliesOfficials said no replacement for the OSD post has been announced yetWith inputs from Agencies