Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session would commence 2 January 2019, with the customary New Yearaddress by Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
This would be the second address to the House by Purohit after he took over as Governor in October 2017.
Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan, in a release Wednesday, said, “In pursuance of sub-clause (1) of Article 174 of the Constitution, the Governor has summoned the Legislative Assembly to meet at 1000 hrs on January 2, 2019 in the Assembly Chamber.”
“In pursuance of clause (1) of Article 176 of the Constitution, the Governor proposes to address the State Legislative Assembly on that day,” he added.
The Governor was expected to outline some of the welfare measures of the AIADMK government headed by Chief Minister
Edappadi K Palaniswami, especially with the Lok Sabha elections around the corner.
After the Governor’s address, the Business Advisory Committee would meet in Speaker P Dhanapal’s chamber to decide on the duration of the session and its conduct.
The session, likely to last a week, is expected to generate more heat as the Opposition, led by the DMK, would be raising a host of issues, including the Mekedatu project row with Karnataka, relief works in Cyclone Gaja-hit districts and the controversial Sterlite issue, especially in the wake of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) setting aside
the Tamil Nadu Government Order on closure of the copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi, and allowing the Vedanta group to reopen it.
The Opposition was also expected to raise the issue regarding the delay in the release of seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case by the Governor even after the State Cabinet’s resolution was forwarded to the Raj Bhavan.
The Cabinet had 9 September, adopted a resolution recommending the Governor release all the seven convicts under Article 161 of the Constitution.
The decision, recommending to the Governor to release all the seven convicts — Sriharan alias Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan alias Arivu, Nalini, Robert Pyas, Ravichandran and Jayakumar — languishing in jail for the last 27 years, was taken in line with the 6 September Supreme Court order.
Based on the apex court order, which had asked the Governor to consider the mercy plea of Perarivalan for premature release, the Cabinet recommended to the Governor to release all the convicts under Article 161 of the Constitution.