Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has appointed astrologer Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as his Officer on Special Duty (Political). The appointment order was issued on May 12, a day before Vijay is expected to prove his majority on the House floor.
Radhan is known to be Vijay’s personal astrologer and spiritual advisor. In his LinkedIn profile, Radhan describes himself as a “political and celebrity astrologer”. He also claims to have been the astrologer of choice for late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and BJP leader LK Advani.
Radhan, in January, ‘predicted’ that Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) would win 180 seats on their own. In April, he took that number down to 150+. The TVK eventually won 108 seats. The party has staked the claim to form the government with a power-sharing alliance with the Congress and the outside support of the Left parties and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).
The appointment comes on the same day Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin called for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma on the floor of the Assembly.
The TVK’s choice for Minister for Higher Education and Mylapore MLA P Venkataramanan had earlier drawn flak for claiming that anti-Brahminism is an "outdated" ideology.
