CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been assuming the centrestage at the Assembly sessions for the past few days. While she sat through almost entire sessions taking notes of points raised by members irrespective of their party affiliation, she also eagerly responded to their queries, inviting applause.At times, when the Speaker failed to act on certain issues, the Chief Minister pointed out them and made suitable suggestions too, thus making the proceedings lively. On certain occasions, she corrected the wrong figures and information given by some members. This had a telling impact on her Cabinet colleagues who also began to closely watch speeches and correct mistakes.Even if a Minister gave negative reply to a demand from a member, the Chief Minister would intervene and approve the demand based on the necessity.On Wednesday, when Ulaganathan (CPI) asked whether the government would take steps to construct a government quarters in Thiruthuraippondi, Minister for Housing R Vaithilingam said there was no possibility for that.Incidentally, that was the first question for Vaithil-ingam in the 14th Assembly and he had to give a negative reply. Sensing the sentiment attached to the issue, Jayalalithaa said the Speaker was responsible for selecting questions that are answered by the Ministers for the first time. So, the Speaker should choose questions that have positive replies. Accepting the CM’s suggestion, Speaker D Jayakumar said in future, no such mistakes would occur.On another occasion, when the Anglo-Indian member Nancy Francis began her speech addressing the CM, members of Parliament, the State legislature and the Speaker, the CM made a request to the Chair not to allow this. “A member of the House should address only the Speaker and nobody else. It is a common practice to address everyone on the dais, but is applicable only to public meetings and not to the Assembly. I thought you (the Speaker) would set right the mistake of the members but you did not,” the CM said.Ironically, the appeal had no impact on her party MLAs. AIADMK member M Rengasamy, who spoke a few minutes later, began by addressing the CM directly instead of the Speaker and went on doing so till he completed his speech.
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