Ahead of Assembly session Edappadi K Palaniswami holds discussions with Speaker

CHENNAI: Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly session Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami held consultation with Speaker P. Dhanapal on Wednes-
day.

The Assembly Budget session which has been convened from June 28 will meet for the first time after the April Lok Sabha election and also at a time when the State is facing several issues including acute water scarcity leaving Chennai struggling to get its regular dose of water and amidst the opposition DMK proposing a no-confidence motion against the Speaker.

Official sources maintain that it was customary for the CM to meet the Speaker and discuss about the issues to be taken up before the House.

After Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who holds the finance portfolio, presented the Budget for 2019 — 20 fiscal in February, the Assembly would sit to discuss in detail the demand for grants for several government departments.

The over a month-long session would begin with obituary references on the first day to two lawmakers: R. Kanagaraj and K. Radhamani, who died recently.

The no-confidence motion against Mr. Dhanapal would be taken up on July 1 as per rules. DMK president M. K. Stalin will move the no-confidence motion against the Speaker for issuing show-cause notices to three AIADMK legislators — A. Prabhu representing the Kallakuruchi Assembly constituency, Rathinasabapathy (Aranthangi) and V.T. Kalaiselvan (Virudhachalam), in April seeking explanations for their anti-party activities.

While addressing a demonstration organised by the party here recently to condemn the State government's failure to resolve the water crisis, Mr. Stalin had said although the DMK submitted a letter seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the Assembly Speaker, its first priority was to remove Mr. Palaniswami from office.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK convened a meeting of its MLAs on Friday at the party headquarters here at 11.30 am. Party coordinator Mr. Panneerselvam and co-coordinator Mr. Palaniswami would chair the meeting.