A new kind of anxiety has engulfed Fort St George housing the Secretariat with the Public Health Department taking up a massive corona testing check-up for the MLAs, officials, the media and Assembly staff for the House proceedings from Monday.
File photo of mock seating measures at Kalaivanar Arangam for session
Chennai:
The corona test results of high profile VVIPS taken up across the state is expected by weekend. It may be noted that two lawmakers from Tamil Nadu J Anbhazhagan and Vasantha Kumar had succumbed to COVID-19 without responding to treatment. “Several MLAs are likely to abstain from the assembly session that will commence from Monday and the usual fizz ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly is missing. Not many enquiry calls were made by the elected representatives of both AIADMK and DMK regarding the corona test arrangements,” an informed official source told DT Next hinting that about 10 percent absenteeism is usually common.
By Friday evening, Corona fear and the shifting of Assembly venue to Kalaivanar Arangam left the secretariat deserted, he opined stating that the three- day session will mostly pass the bills that have to be mandatorily cleared in connection with the administrative issues. A few 110 statements by the CM are also under consideration, the official added.
“Our party leaders wanted to hold the session only when the corona infection is arrested, but for some reason, the AIADMK is in haste to hold the Assembly,” said Thiru Vi Ka Nagar legislator Thayagam Kavi. Our party leader thalaivar (M K Stalin) conducted the DMK general council through a zoom meeting showing that technology has advanced, but the AIADMK is going by the usual way of spending state money. There are so many pending public issues to be discussed and three days of the session will not serve any purpose, said the DMK legislator. “The usual josh in ahead of Assembly is missing as the venue has been shifted to Kalaivanar Arangam. Further, the party men are usually given assembly pass to attend the proceedings and this time the entry has been highly restricted. Most of us in ruling AIADMK will attend,” said an AIADMK MLA.
Multiple visits by DT Next to Secretariat, MLA hostel and the Kalaivanar Arangam, showed poor footfall except for the police on patrol duty. Usually, the party men will start putting up festoons and billboards greeting their leaders ahead of the assembly session, but this time the corona has robbed off the political fanfare.