5 days ago
Vijay Breaks Tamil Nadu Assembly Seating Tradition With Ministers
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay usually sits in a special chair near the Speaker.
On Thursday, he moved to the front row and sat between two ministers.
This was unusual because chief ministers normally have their own separate seat.
The two ministers were K A Sengottaiyan and Aadhav Arjuna.
The change attracted attention in the Assembly.
Later, Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin said senior government officials should be present during important discussions.
Aadhav Arjuna said the officials were nearby in a war room and were taking notes.
The Speaker agreed that senior officials should attend Assembly sessions.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay moved from his usual chair near the Speaker and sat with ministers.
Vijay sat between K A Sengottaiyan and Aadhav Arjuna during Thursday afternoon’s Assembly session.
The move departed from the longstanding practice of seating the chief minister separately from ministers.
Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin said department secretaries should attend when important issues are discussed.
Aadhav Arjuna said the secretaries were taking notes in an adjoining war room, while the Speaker agreed senior officials should attend the House.
- Who
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, ministers K A Sengottaiyan and Aadhav Arjuna, Speaker J C D Prabhakar, and Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin.
- What
- Vijay left his usual chief minister's chair and sat between ministers, while members debated the presence of department secretaries.
- Where
- The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in Chennai.
- When
- Thursday afternoon during the Assembly session; Vijay had attended government events earlier that day.
- Why
- Vijay moved to speak with ministerial colleagues; Udhayanidhi Stalin raised the officials' attendance during important discussions.
Opposition's concern
Government's response
Attendance of department secretaries
Opposition's concern
Udhayanidhi Stalin said the chief secretary and department secretaries should be present in the House when members raise important issues.
Government's response
Aadhav Arjuna said the secretaries were in an adjoining war room taking notes from members' speeches.
Officials during major discussions
Opposition's concern
Udhayanidhi Stalin cited an earlier discussion of the Karur stampede during which the then chief minister and senior officials were present in the House.
Government's response
The Speaker agreed with the concern and said senior officials would be asked to attend Assembly sessions.
Key facts
- Chief minister
- C Joseph Vijay
- Usual seating
- The chief minister normally sits in a separate chair close to the Speaker's Chair.
- New seating
- Vijay sat between K A Sengottaiyan and Aadhav Arjuna.
- Assembly strength
- The House has 234 members.
- Officials' location
- Aadhav Arjuna said department secretaries were in an adjoining war room taking notes from members' speeches.
- Speaker's response
- J C D Prabhakar said senior officials would be asked to attend Assembly sessions.
Quotes
Udhayanidhi Stalin
Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly
“The Speaker mentioned that the then chief minister spoke about the Karur (stampede) incident during the previous DMK regime. Then our leader and CM (M K Stalin) was present in the House and so were the chief secretary and department secretaries. Now, both the chief minister and department secretaries are not present in the House.”
NDTV
thehansindia.com
Sources
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