On MondayJ Jayalalithaa sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for remarkable second successive term as with supporters packed on either side of Dr Radhakrishnan Salai and the Marina Beach Road to cheer her convoy, and hundreds of women offering the traditional ‘aarti’ all along the stretch leading to the venue.
Immediately after she took oath she signed five orders, including crop loan waiver for farmers and beginning of a phased prohibition by reducing timing of the state-owned liquor outlets and closing 500 such shops.
The first chief minister to retain office since her mentor M G Ramachandran’s record third consecutive term in 1984, the AIADMK supremo’s swearing-in had political leaders, film stars and industrialists in attendance at a packed centenary auditorium of the University of Madras, the venue for all key functions. Like the last time, all 28 ministers took oath in chorus, as the event was scheduled to wind up in sharp 30 minutes.