Jaya sacks two Cabinet colleagues

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday sacked two of her colleagues, bringing the Cabinet strength to 23, to meet the constitutional obligation that the ministry's size should not exceed 10 per cent of the assembly's strength.

The Tamil Nadu assembly has 234 members.

The ministers dropped are S Semmalai (education) and R Jeevanthan (backward classes).

Their portfolios have been given to Labour Minister C V Shanmugam.

Agriculture Minister P Annavi will now handle labour; Rural Industries Minister K Pandurangan will take charge of agriculture.