Tamil Nadu CM Vijay sacks astrologer adviser amid controversy over appointment

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Wednesday removed astrologer Rickey Radhan Pandit Vetrivel from the post of Officer on Special Duty (OSD) shortly after winning the trust vote in the state Assembly with the support of 144 MLAs.

The order removing Vetrivel was issued within minutes of Vijay securing victory in the floor test, signalling an apparent attempt by the newly formed government to distance itself from the controversy surrounding the astrologer’s appointment.

Vetrivel’s elevation as OSD had drawn criticism from opposition parties and sections of the public, with questions raised over the role of astrologers and unofficial advisers in government functioning.

Originally from Erode in Tamil Nadu, Vetrivel was once considered among the influential astrologers consulted by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa during her tenure.

However, his association with Jayalalithaa reportedly ended after one of his major political predictions failed to materialise.

According to political sources, Vetrivel had allegedly assured Jayalalithaa that she would avoid imprisonment in the disproportionate assets case. But after she was convicted and jailed in September 2014, relations between the two reportedly deteriorated and she stopped consulting him.

Reinvented public image after Singapore move

Following the fallout, Vetrivel is believed to have moved to Singapore before later shifting to Delhi. During that period, he reportedly rebranded himself as “Radhan Pandit Vetrivel”, adopting a name carrying a stronger North Indian identity in an effort to expand his reach among the wider Indian diaspora.

Despite his public projection, sources said he remained a Tamil native from Erode with a residence in Chennai. Associates reportedly claimed the change in identity was influenced partly by astrological considerations and partly by ambitions to build a larger national profile.

Entry into Vijay’s political circle

Sources familiar with the developments earlier told The Indian Express that Vetrivel entered Vijay’s political network after being introduced through an intermediary following his return from Delhi in 2008.

Over time, he reportedly became a noticeable presence within Vijay’s evolving political setup and was believed to have offered strategic and astrological advice to the actor-turned-politician.

Among the claims associated with him was advice that Vijay should contest from a constituency beginning with the letter “V”, a detail earlier reported by the newspaper.

Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Vetrivel had also publicly predicted a rapid political rise for Vijay and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in the state’s political landscape.