The next session of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly would commence at 10 a.m. on January 5, 2022 with the customary Governor’s address in the Assembly Hall on the Fort St. George campus, Speaker M. Appavu said in Chennai on Monday.
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, some sessions of the Assembly were held at Kalaivanar Arangam.
Interacting with reporters in his chamber, Mr. Appavu said all COVID-19 norms would be followed. To a query whether the public would be allowed to watch the House proceedings as visitors, he said the Business Advisory Committee would take a call.
When asked if he would reiterate his comments on the holding up of Governor’s/Presidential assent for Bills passed in the Assembly, Mr. Appavu replied in the negative.
He pointed out that the comments were made at a conference in Shimla meant for Legislative Assembly Speakers. At the conference, he had observed that Governors sometimes sit on a Bill passed by the Assembly without giving assent or returning the Bill for an indefinite period. Governors were “taking months together” to do so, he had contended, and observed that it eroded the authority of the legislatures.
When asked why an officer from Parliament has been deputed to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat, what his responsibilities were and whether he was here to monitor the proceedings, Mr. Appavu said he did not feel the officer was here for monitoring purpose. “The Central and State Governments would be working together. The taxes from Tamil Nadu are going to the Centre. The Centre and the State Government are jointly implementing several schemes. All schemes would be implemented through the State Government. There is no need for monitoring here,” Mr. Appavu contended.
When asked why such officers were not deputed in the past, Mr. Appavu cited media reports that ranked Chief Minister M.K. Stalin as the best performing Chief Minister and quipped, “So, officers could have come to see how best practices from here could be taken to other States and to Parliament.”
On the possibility of putting up a portrait of late DMK leader K. Anbazhagan in the Assembly Hall, he said, “The answers to all your queries would come at the appropriate time.”
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