Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay broke with a long-standing Assembly convention on Thursday when he moved away from his designated chair and sat alongside ministers in the front row during the afternoon session of the state Assembly.
Vijay’s move drew attention as chief ministers traditionally occupy a separate chair positioned close to the Speaker’s seat. Ministers sit separately in the front row alongside the Chief Minister, with their positions generally determined by seniority.
The Opposition occupies the row facing the treasury benches.
The Leader of the Opposition and leaders of various legislature parties are seated according to their numerical strength in the 234-member House, with members of their respective parties seated behind them.
During Thursday’s afternoon proceedings, Vijay casually left his designated chair, located to the right of Speaker JCD Prabhakar, and took a seat between ministers KA Sengottaiyan, who is also the Leader of the House, and Aadhav Arjuna.
A source said it was unusual for a chief minister to move from the chair specifically designated for the post and sit in a seat meant for a minister.
While ministers and legislators occasionally change seats for brief conversations with colleagues, the source said such a move by a chief minister was perhaps unprecedented.
The Chief Minister had attended government events earlier in the day before arriving at the Assembly for the afternoon proceedings.
OPPOSITION RAISES ISSUE OF OFFICIALS’ PRESENCE
Earlier on Thursday, Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin raised concerns over the absence of department secretaries from the Assembly when members discussed important issues.
Udhayanidhi referred to discussions surrounding the Karur stampede and recalled that during the previous DMK government, former Chief Minister MK Stalin and senior bureaucrats, including the Chief Secretary and department secretaries, were present in the House when the issue was discussed.
He said the same level of administrative presence was missing during the current Assembly session.
Responding to the Opposition leader, Aadhav Arjuna said department secretaries were present in an adjoining “war room” and were taking notes from the speeches and issues raised by legislators.
Speaker JCD Prabhakar agreed with Udhayanidhi’s suggestion and said senior officials would be asked to remain present in the Assembly during proceedings.
The exchange came amid discussions on the functioning of the House and the coordination between the political leadership and senior government officials.
Vijay’s unusual seating shift later in the day, meanwhile, became one of the notable moments of Thursday’s Assembly proceedings, departing from the traditional seating arrangement followed by successive chief ministers.
– Ends
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