The newly elected chief minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Vijay, has revoked the appointment of his longtime astrologer to a key government role following public criticism. Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, an actor-turned-politician who won a stunning victory on his electoral debut, had appointed Rickey Randhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty. The decision was withdrawn after just one day.
Vettrivel, an astrologer and numerologist with no administrative experience, had previously advised the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. According to reports, he fell out with her in 2014 after incorrectly predicting she would avoid prison in a corruption case. He also predicted Vijay's rise to power through horoscope interpretations ahead of the state election.
The appointment sparked immediate debate in Tamil Nadu, a state with a strong tradition of rationalist and anti-superstition politics. Critics argued that giving a formal government role to an astrologer could promote superstition over scientific thinking. Senior members of the Congress, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) publicly criticised the move.
Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil questioned the necessity of the role, writing, “Beats me. Why would an astrologer require an OSD position?” The Marxist party’s state chief P Shanmugam said the appointment would “increase faith in astrology among the people” and called it unacceptable. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi general secretary D Ravikumar demanded the chief minister reconsider. Congress parliamentarian Jothimani noted the irony of Vijay’s party claiming Periyar EV Ramasamy as its ideological leader, given Periyar’s campaign against superstition.
