Chennai, Sept 3:
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly witnessed a historic moment on Wednesday when TVK MLA V Sathyabama became the first woman to preside over the proceedings from the Speaker’s chair.
Sathyabama, who represents Tiruppur North and is a member of the Panel of Chairpersons, took the chair during the afternoon sitting of the Assembly’s demands-for-grants session.
She assumed the responsibility after the Speaker and Deputy Speaker left the House for a break.
Under the Assembly rules, a member of the Panel of Chairpersons is authorised to conduct proceedings in the absence of both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Sathyabama’s elevation to the chair was welcomed across party lines.
DMK MLA Thangam Thenarasu rose during the proceedings to congratulate her and described the occasion as a moment of happiness for all members of the House.
Thenarasu referred to the chair donated to the Assembly by Lady Wellington and said there had long been an expectation that a woman would occupy the presiding officer’s chair.
He congratulated Sathyabama and praised her for conducting the proceedings with patience and dignity.
The historic development also reflected the diverse composition of the Assembly’s Panel of Chairpersons.
The panel includes TVK MLAs Vijay Saravanan and Madhar Badhurudeen, DMK MLA Kadher Batcha Muthuramalingam, AIADMK MLA Thalavai Sundaram and Congress MLA Tharagai Kathbert, besides Sathyabama.
Sathyabama’s stint in the chair therefore became more than a routine procedural arrangement, marking a milestone in the history of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
The occasion also received appreciation from members of the Opposition, underlining the cross-party significance attached to the first woman presiding over the House from the Speaker’s chair.