In a significant departure from tradition, Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay ditched his usual seat at the state Assembly and sat next to his cabinet ministers on Thursday. A video of the TVK chief’s rare gesture in going viral on social media.
Vijay briefly sat in the chair allotted to him before moving to the one reserved for ministers. Viral videos showed the chief minister interacting with the ministers in the Assembly. The maternity leave available for a third child will be increased from 12 weeks to 365 days, his government announced this month. It also raised Aavin’s milk procurement price from ₹ 38 to ₹ 41 per litre, benefiting more than 3.16 lakh milk producers. In a big announcement for legislators, Vijay announced that all MLAs would get government vehicles and a ₹ 1 lakh monthly package, comprising ₹ 75,000 towards fuel, maintenance and driver expenses and ₹ 25,000 for an assistant for office work.
Vijay turned up at the Tamil Nadu Assembly after attending certain government events earlier in the day.
Opposition Leaders Take Seats During Ministerial Meeting
In a recent assembly meeting, the Leader of the Opposition and leaders of various Legislature parties occupied the chairs positioned opposite the ministers. This arrangement was based on the numerical strength of the parties they represent. Notably, no other chief minister utilized the designated seats meant for ministers, as reported by the news agency PTI, citing sources familiar with the event.
It is not usual for the chief minister to sit next to his ministers. A separate and spacious chair close to the Speaker’s Chair is reserved for the CM and the ministers are seated next to him in a separate seat, as per their seniority.
