Vijay leaves CM’s seat to join ministers, unprecedented scene in Tamil Nadu Assembly

Breaking with a long-standing tradition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay created an unprecedented scene. During the afternoon session of the Assembly on Thursday, he left his allotted seat and sat in the front row next to his ministers. The Chief Minister's change of seat created a sensation in the Assembly.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly usually has a reserved seat for the Chief Minister near the Speaker's seat. Ministers sit next to the Chief Minister on the basis of seniority. Members of the opposition sit on the opposite row. An exception to this long-standing arrangement was seen on Thursday.

During the session, Chief Minister Vijay moved from his assigned seat to the right of Speaker JCD Prabhakar and sat in the front row, where he took a seat between Speaker K A Sengottaiyan and Minister Adhav Arjun.

Assembly sources claim that this incident of Chief Ministers leaving the seats reserved for them and sitting elsewhere is unprecedented in the history of the Tamil Nadu Assembly. As a result, discussions on the matter started among the members present in the assembly chamber.

Meanwhile, on the same day, during the discussion of important issues in the session, Opposition Leader Udayanidhi Stalin questioned the absence of divisional secretaries. Citing an incident like the Karu stampede, he said, "During the previous government, Chief Minister MK Stalin, Chief Secretary and other top government officials were present in the assembly. But in the current session, that administrative presence is not seen."

Responding to a question from the opposition leader, Minister Adhav Arjun said that officials are present in the war room next to the assembly. They are monitoring the statements of the MLAs and taking necessary notes.

However, Speaker JCD Prabhakar agreed with the opposition leader's statement on this issue. He said that senior officials will be instructed to be present in the assembly during the session.

On the one hand, the Chief Minister leaving the designated seat and sitting next to the ministers, on the other hand, the opposition's questions about the presence of top administration officials in the session. All in all, the Tamil Nadu Assembly session on Thursday was quite a hot topic.