CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly will convene on January 20 with Governor RN Ravi scheduled to deliver his customary address, according to an official notification.
The session, which begins at 9.30 am, will mark the final sitting of the current government that assumed office in 2021.
Speaker M Appavu said on Friday that the Governor would read out the address prepared by the State government, expressing confidence that he would uphold the dignity of the House, in a veiled reference to the gubernatorial head's past diversions.
He told reporters at his chamber in the Secretariat that the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), comprising representatives of all parties in the Assembly, would decide the duration of the session. The BAC meeting will be held on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the House assembles.
The session is expected to be contentious, with the opposition, including the AIADMK, likely to raise issues such as the Tirupparankundram Deepam controversy, law and order, and farmers’ welfare. The treasury benches are expected to respond strongly to the opposition’s criticisms.
Despite the Speaker’s assurance, all eyes remain on the Governor’s conduct during the address. In early 2024, Ravi omitted certain portions of the speech prepared by the State government. The omissions were not recorded in the proceedings, as the Speaker read out the full Tamil version and the House subsequently adopted it through a resolution.
A similar situation was witnessed the previous year, when the Governor skipped the entire prepared address and walked out of the Assembly.
In this backdrop, legislators and observers are keen to see how the Governor will approach the customary address this year.