CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan, a senior official who oversaw some of the stormiest sessions that the House has witnessed, has stepped down from his post, reportedly due to differences over the constitution of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) ahead of the upcoming Assembly session.
Srinivasan’s decision to quit the post before the completion of the extended tenure comes as the Assembly is preparing for the budget session and the Governor's Address that precedes the budget presentation. The Business Advisory Committee, comprising representatives of various political parties in the House, is responsible for recommending the duration of Assembly sessions and allocating time for government and private business.
Though no official reason has been cited for the development, sources in the Assembly said discussions relating to the formation of the BAC had led to differences between senior officials and the government. The main issue was about the number of MLAs from the principal opposition party, the DMK, to be included in the committee, sources told DT Next.
When contacted, Srinivasan maintained that he resigned from the post of Principal Secretary due to personal reasons.
A veteran official who was well-versed with the laws and procedures that should be followed within the House, Srinivasan began his career as an Assembly Reporter before serving as Personal Secretary to former Speaker P Dhanapal.
During this period, the Assembly witnessed several politically sensitive proceedings, including the confidence vote faced by former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in 2017 amid intense protests from the opposition benches.
Later, he was appointed as the Assembly Secretary in 2018, a post he continued to hold during the DMK regime, too. Srinivasan retired from service on November 30, 2023, but was granted a three-year extension by the then DMK government.
He also supervised the confidence motion conducted after the formation of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government.
R Santhi, Special Secretary of the Assembly who has rich experience in conducting House business, is said to become the next Secretary.