TN CM Joseph Vijay, new MLAs take oath in Assembly

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, ministers, former chief ministers and newly elected MLAs took oath in the Assembly on Monday amid minor procedural issues involving certificates and oath formats during the first session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

Chennai: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, nine other ministers, former CMs including Edappadi K Palaniswami, former deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin and the newly elected MLAs on Monday took the oath of office in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Pro-tem Speaker M V Karuppaiah, while praising Vijay’s leadership and victory, initiated the proceedings for the administration of the oath of office to MLAs in the first session of the 17th Assembly.

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The chief minister was the first to take oath as an MLA and ministers N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KG Arunraj, KA Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan and TK Prabhu followed suit.

Following this, DMK legislature party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, former CMs Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam (DMK), and other MLAs took the oath of office.

Vijay, Udhayanidhi and Panneerselvam were among those who “solemnly affirmed” and took oath. Palaniswami and PMK’s Sowmya Anbumani were among those who took oath in the name of God.

Panrutti AIADMK MLA K Mohan, while taking oath, suddenly broke down, hailed late chief minister J Jayalalithaa and, with folded hands, paid tributes to the portrait of the late AIADMK matriarch in the Assembly hall.

Initially, Minister S Keerthana could not take oath as MLA as she did not present her Certificate of Election, a prerequisite for taking oath, an official said.

When Assembly Principal Secretary K Srinivasan invited Keerthana, announcing her name through the microphone, she walked to the podium, which was right in front of the chief minister’s chair, from one side. Also, MLAs taking oath would face the chair of the pro-tem speaker.

As Keerthana neared the podium, Srinivasan raised his hand and asked for the certificate, which could be seen in the live coverage of the Assembly proceedings. However, she could not produce the certificate and what she replied to Srinivasan was not known.

Asked what transpired, an official told PTI: “It seems she did not have her Certificate of Election ready with her. Since she could not submit the certificate, the senior official politely declined to allow her to take oath. She may take oath whenever she submits her Certificate of Election.”

Sometime later, Keerthana brought her certificate to the House, submitted it to the top official and took the oath of office.

The official said that MLAs were told to bring their certificates without fail and the government had made this clear even in a press note. While initiating the proceedings on Monday, the pro-tem speaker too announced that the Certificate of Election must be presented for taking oath and Karuppaiah himself submitted his certificate to Srinivasan.

When Velachery TVK legislator R Kumar was about to begin taking oath after submitting the certificate, Srinivasan stopped him. He pointed out to Kumar that the certificate submitted by him featured the name of someone else.

It later emerged that Kumar had brought the certificate of his party colleague seated next to him and had given it to Srinivasan. Immediately, Kumar went back to his seat, brought his Certificate of Election and handed it over to the official. Kumar collected his colleague’s certificate from Srinivasan and returned it to his party colleague. Later, Kumar was allowed to take oath.

When Tirunelveli TVK MLA RS Murughan did not specify whether he solemnly affirmed or took oath in the name of God, the top official intervened and asked him to either make affirmation “solemnly” or take oath in the “name of God.” The MLA’s reply appeared to be in a rough tone and he made affirmation in the name of God.

VCK’s Vanni Arasu, after taking oath, said: “Velga Tamizh (Let Tamil win), Valga Tamil Nadu (Hail, long live TN), Velga Tamil Eelam (Let Tamil Eelam win), Thanthai Periyar Vazhga (Hail Periyar EV Ramasamy), Puratchiyalar Dr Ambedkar Vazhga (Hail revolutionary leader Dr Ambedkar), Eluchi Tamizhar Vazhga (Hail VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan).”

AIADMK legislator C Ve Shanmugam (Mailam constituency), according to party sources, did not take oath on Monday.

The TN Assembly’s current strength is 233 while the full strength is 234. Vijay won from Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East and has resigned from the latter.