Chennai: There may not be fireworks, but the session of the Tamil Nadu assembly, being the first one in the new year, might not be a tame affair. This is also the first session for Chief Minister MK Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi, after his elevation as a minister. Seated in the front row of the treasury benches, his conduct will attract more scrutiny.
After close to two years in power, the ruling DMK has begun to feel the heat of unfulfilled poll pledges. Government employees and teachers as well as nurses recruited for Covid emergency are demanding that the government walk the talk. Recently secondary grade teachers were on a week-long protest in Chennai to press for pay parity.
Apart from these, the Coimbatore blast exposing the gaping intelligence failure and law and order issues can be used by the opposition to put the government on the mat. But, the question is how far the opposition would be able to hold the government accountable. The principal opposition AIADMK, unable to set its house in order, will also come under the scanner.
Will the factional fight have its echo in the House? Earlier, the dominant faction headed by former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) boycotted the session protesting the Speaker retaining expelled leader O Panneerselvam as Deputy Leader of the Opposition. After the split in the party, EPS commands the support of 62 of the 66 AIADMK legislators and at the Legislature party meeting, former Minister RB Udayakumar was elected as the Dy leader of Opposition. But, what EPS could not stomach was, OPS being seated next to him.
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While announcing the convening of the assembly, Speaker M Appavu has said, "the seating arrangement is the Speaker's prerogative and it continues as before without any change. I have already responded to the plea of the EPS faction. They have to resolve their differences among themselves.” Since the battle for the AIADMK's mantle is pending before the Supreme Court and the Election Commission, the Speaker does not seem to be in a hurry.
On the seating for Udhayanidhi, he said, “the newly inducted minister would be seated between Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu and Law Minister S Regupathy.” The BJP, with four legislators, has not made much of a mark in the house so far though they were not denied the required time. Outside the House, the saffron party has been targeting Electricity and Excise Minister V Senthil Balaji, leveling allegations of corruption.
It remains to be seen whether this finds an echo in the session. On the other hand, the OBC Vanniyar-dominant Pattali Makkal Katchi, an NDA ally with 5 MLAs, is moving closer to the ruling DMK. With the governor having indicted Dravidian rule, analysts say that the Governor's address might probably recall the achievements the state had made under the Dravidian rule in social justice besides education, health and industrialisation among others.
Since he can skip portions as having read, it is awaited whether Ravi would do so. A similar debate was there when former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and governor M Channa Reddy were at loggerheads. Interestingly, the question then was whether the governor would read 'Puratchi Thalaivi', the honorific for the Chief Minister littered all over the address or not. But, Channa Reddy complied with the script.
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