Tamil Nadu Assembly session from October 9, says Speaker Appavu

Tamil Nadu Assembly to convene on Oct 9, 2023. Finance Minister to present 1st supplementary budget. Session unlikely to exceed 5 days. AIADMK's demands not accepted. Women's Reservation Bill introduced by BJP as political tactic ahead of 2024 elections. DMK providing ₹1,000 monthly grant to 1.06 crore women.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly will be convened on October 9, 2023, Monday at 10 a.m., Speaker M. Appavu announced on Wednesday.

Mr. Appavu further said that Minister for Finance and Human Resources Management Thangam Thennarasu will present the first supplementary budget estimates for 2023-24 on that day. He said the Business Advisory Committee of the Assembly will meet to decide on the number of days the session would be held for. Sources in the Assembly, however, said that the session was unlikely to exceed beyond five days.

When asked about AIADMK’s demand that the seating of its expelled coordinator O. Panneerselvam be changed and the position of R.B. Udhayakumar as the party’s Deputy Leader of Opposition be recognised, he said everyone has accepted the [present] status. “Are you having some thoughts that the seating should be changed,” he jokingly asked media persons. He denied the claim that the AIADMK was repeatedly sending petitions to him in this regard.

On the Women’s Reservation Bill introduced recently in the Parliament, he said it has come after prolonged delays and the Union government itself has said that it would not be implemented soon. He said many political parties have said that they were not hopeful about the Bill’s implementation and said he considered it to be BJP’s [political] tactic ahead of the 2024 elections. Mr. Appavu also said there was also a view that the BJP has introduced the Bill to appeal to women voters, especially to counter the DMK’s implementation of a monthly rights grant of ₹ 1,000 to 1.06 crore women.