TVK's Assembly live telecast U-turn draws sharp criticism

CHENNAI: The Assembly Secretariat on Friday discontinued the live telecast of Assembly proceedings during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address, triggering criticism from opposition parties and social media users.

The proceedings were initially streamed live through the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s official YouTube channel. However, the telecast was abruptly halted while members were participating in the debate.

The move sparked reactions on social media, with several users questioning why the telecast was stopped midway through the proceedings.

The DMK, the principal opposition party in the Assembly, also sought an explanation from the Assembly Secretariat regarding the discontinuation of the live stream.

Opposition members pointed out that the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) had promised during the Assembly election campaign that the entire proceedings of the House would be telecast live if it came to power.

Since the formation of the TVK-led government, only two major Assembly events have been telecast live — the oath-taking of the MLAs and the confidence motion moved by the Chief Minister.

Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar had earlier stated that no final decision had been taken regarding the live telecast of the entire Assembly proceedings.