C Joseph Vijay, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has appointed his long-time astrologer, Rickey Radhan Pandit Vetrivel, as Officer of Special Duty (OSD) in the Chief Minister's office. The state government order, issued by principal secretary Reeta Harish Thakkar, states that Vetrivel's appointment is effective immediately. This decision has sparked criticism from leaders of the Congress party and the VCK (Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi), who question the appropriateness of appointing an astrologer to a government position. Congress lawmaker Sasikanth Senthil expressed confusion over the need for an astrologer in such a role, while VCK leader D Ravikumar called the decision unacceptable in a secular government and urged Vijay to reconsider. Vetrivel, who has a history of making predictions, notably forecasted Vijay's rise to the chief minister role and has previously worked with the late former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, although their professional relationship ended after a failed prediction related to a criminal case against her.