C Joseph Vijay, the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, introduced himself as a “common man” in his first address after taking oath in Chennai today. He drew attention to what he called his roots as somebody not from any royal lineage, which was the reason why the people accepted him.
Vijay, 51, said he will not deceive people with false promises, and highlighted he would work for “an era of real, secular, social justice”. The new chief minister also asked the people to give him a reasonable time to measure his performance.
“There will be no power centre other than me. I will be the only centre of power,” the actor-turned-politician who accepted being called “Mama” and “Thambi” said, indicating he would be accountable for his government’s policies.
The “only one power centre” comment appeared aimed at reassuring people that the TVK-led government would not be under pressure from any alliance partner to do their bidding.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him and assured the Centre will keep working with the state government to improve people’s lives.
The new chief minister had declared a total net worth of Rs 624 crore in his election affidavit, with Rs 213 crore held in savings accounts and Rs 100 crore invested in fixed deposits across banks.
Vijay said he would consider releasing a white paper on the state’s finances for the sake of transparency before going forward.
Vijay’s new cabinet of nine ministers has a mix of young and experienced leaders, with the TVK chief’s core team finding a place. His first signatures on government files confirmed giving 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers and creating a special force for women’s safety.
The cabinet includes highly experienced leader KA Sengottaiyan and young faces like Dr TK Prabhu and S Keerthana. Aadhav Arjuna, N Anand, R Nirmal Kumar and KG Arunraj from the TVK took oath.
No leader from Rahul Gandhi’s Congress – the first party that agreed to support the TVK when it needed the numbers to reach the majority mark – entered the new Tamil Nadu cabinet.