Vijay's astrologer sacked from job after being ridiculed on social media

C. Joseph Vijay, who was appointed as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a popular actor and leader of the Thamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, appointed his personal astrologer, Ricky Radhan Pandit Velvel (Rathin Pandit), as a Special Duty Officer (Political) in the Chief Minister's Office, and cancelled the appointment within a day.

This appointment, made through an official government notification on May 12, 2026, had to be withdrawn by the new Chief Minister with immediate effect on May 13 due to strong opposition from allies, the opposition, rationalist groups, and the public. This swift reversal of a decision, which occurred just days after winning a no-confidence motion, marks the first political challenge faced by Vijay's new government.

Radhan Pandit is a well-known political and popular astrologer from Erode, Tamil Nadu, and he has previously served as an advisor to former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. He also serves as the spokesperson for the TVK party, and is Vijay's long-time personal astrologer who suggested the name "TVK" for the party, determined the timing of the swearing-in ceremony, and predicted the party's electoral victory. Strong accusations were leveled that giving him a high-level position in the Chief Minister's Office, despite his lack of administrative experience, was mixing personal beliefs with government administration.

This move, contrary to Tamil Nadu's Dravidian rationalist and secular traditions, drew strong criticism from almost all political parties. VCK party's General Secretary D. Ravikumar emphasized the importance of a scientific temper, stating that this was completely unacceptable for a secular government, and demanded the immediate cancellation of the appointment. DMDK leader Premalatha Vijayakanth also strongly condemned the move, stating that if an astrologer is needed, they should be kept at a private level. Additionally, the Congress party, Communist parties (CPI and CPI-M), as well as the DMK opposition and progressive groups, pointed out that promoting superstitions using public funds was an insult to both the constitution and scientific thinking.

This appointment was also heavily ridiculed on social media, with many questioning why public funds were being spent on astrological readings at a time when the state was facing a massive debt crisis. Faced with this pressure, after the government won the no-confidence motion on May 13 with 144 votes while the DMK party abstained from voting, Vijay took steps to immediately cancel the appointment through order number 684. Following this incident, TVK party leaders like C.T. Nirmal Kumar clarified that Rathin Pandit's primary role was only to act as a spokesperson.