Floor test will be smooth; have received letters from EPS, Velumani factions: Speaker

You are assuming the duty of the Speaker of the Parliament at a time when the ruling TVK does not have an independent majority in the Parliament and the opposition is numerically strong. How do you intend to navigate your role?

Mr. Vijay won by God’s grace. Our leader will prove his majority on Wednesday. So I don’t see any difficulty.

Although you have significant legislative experience, the majority of members are first-time legislators and have limited exposure to House procedures and rules. Do you foresee any challenges on this front? Can you organize orientation for them?

Yes. An orientation program will be organized for first-time legislators very soon. I am sure that all young people will recover very easily. They are very smart and understand whenever we talk to them. They understand the procedures. It is not difficult for us. They will definitely do better than you expected.

What advice do you have for those who are making laws for the first time?

They should go to: [Assembly] library and read. They must comply with whatever procedure is in the parliament. They must arrive at the assembly on time, sit until the end and listen to the speakers. The opposition should not resort to violence when attacking the leader or speaking against the government.

Your first major responsibility as speaker will be to oversee Wednesday’s floor test…

Transactions will go smoothly and exceed expectations.

As you take over, the 47 AIADMK legislators appear to be sharply divided over the selection of the Party Leader of the Legislative Assembly….

Yes. A team on your head [AIADMK general secretary] Edappadi.K. Another team led by Palaniswami and [rebel] SP Velumani, both of them gave me separate letters.

How many MLAs support each of the groups?

The letters are on the Speaker’s desk. However, as Speaker of the Parliament, I cannot give you any further information at this time.

What kind of decision can we expect regarding these letters?

I can’t say anything about it right now as ground testing is planned.

Do you have any changes in mind regarding the conduct of parliamentary proceedings?

No. We will continue to follow the same House conventions and procedures.

There has been a demand for live broadcast of Parliament sessions for a long time. Are you open to considering such a move?

We will hold a meeting with all party leaders in the parliament and then make a call.

The interpretation of Tamil Thai Vazhthu as the third song during the swearing-in ceremony of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet sparked controversy.

Minister [Aadhav Arjuna] He had already given a detailed explanation.

However, in past instances, the then Governor RN Ravi had insisted on the singing of the National Anthem during the Governor’s Address at the beginning of the Assembly sessions. Which convention do you follow now?

We’ll have to wait and see. We have not taken any decision on this issue so far. A decision will be made soon. We will make a decision before the Governor’s Address.

How do you see your political journey from being a legislator representing the AIADMK to becoming the Speaker of the Assembly after being elected on TVK ticket?

I have been in politics since 1972. I joined the AIADMK when I was a student at Loyola College. As secretary of Loyola College Students Association, I met Puratchi Thalaivar MGR [M.G. Ramachandran] In 1973, with a request that I start a lunch program for 16 underprivileged children at Loyola College. He asked me, “Did I come to university to study, why am I taking up this subject?” he asked. When I was the Secretary of the Students’ Union and 16 people asked me for lunch, I said, “How do you think I will study or sleep?” He looked at me curiously and told KA Krishnasamy [AIADMK frontline leader]”Look at him. He’s got such a great future.” He said it was a very good initiative and he would fund it. I told MGR that I had come only to invite him to a Star Night program where I could raise money. He also said that he would give ₹ 10,000 and come to the ceremony. It was the day Puratchi Thalaivar identified me and prepared me for politics. In 1978, I became the councilor of Ambattur. I became MLA in 1980; This was the toughest election the AIADMK could face because the government was dissolved by Madam Gandhi. [Indira Gandhi]In the case of Kalaignar [M. Karunanidhi]for no reason. Kalaignar and Madam Gandhi had won 37 seats in the 1980 Parliamentary elections. MGR went to the people and asked: “What mistake or harm have I done? Why should they dissolve my government?” I won the election. I was the district secretary of 17 constituencies in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu. Later, in 1985, he made me the State youth wing secretary. From that moment on, I continued this duty until his death. When ma’am [J. Jayalalithaa] took over [reins of the party]My relationship with him was very smooth and he had confidence in my services to the party at all levels. We would sit and discuss issues related to the executive board and general assembly. In fact, the 1989 parliamentary election lists were finalized by My Lady and I. He reassured me and discussed with me every phase of Kalaignar’s tenure as Prime Minister. Then, in 1990, for reasons unknown to both him and me, I fell out of his favor. I was dismissed along with S. Thirunavukkarasu, KKSSR Ramachandran, Karuppasamy Pandian, SD Ugamchand and Tiruppur Manimaran who supported him. We were taken out on a beautiful morning. I never became a member of any party afterwards. In fact, Kalaignar sent an envoy. Madurai Mayor Patturajan came to my house in the morning on the day the suspension was announced in the newspapers. “I come from the house of Kalaignar,” he said. Kalaignar asked me to join DMK from the expelled list. But that day, my wife and I discussed this issue and decided not to engage in politics anymore. When the lady could hold me so close and suddenly push me away without questioning what was happening, I decided not to be a member of any political party. For five years, I concentrated only on sports. Mr. Moopanar in 1996 [Congress leader and TMC founderG.K. Moopanar] He came to Ambattur for a wedding and asked me what I was doing. I said that I was not interested in politics and that I concentrated on sports activities such as chess and table tennis. He said I was a young man with a bright future and asked me to come and meet him. When I met him, there was Congress in the morning and Tamil Maanila Congress in the evening. He made me his political secretary. He treated me very well. I wasn’t very happy with the way they all attended Congress after his death. I didn’t get involved in politics for a few years. Then in 2008, I rejoined the AIADMK again. She (Jayalalithaa) made me deputy secretary of the Minority Wing. Later, in 2011, when I defeated Professor K. Anbazhagan, a big DMK leader, he gave me an MLA ticket from Villivakkam. He later made me the President of SIDCO. I served for three years. forced me to race [former Chief Minister] MK Stalin in 2016. This was not a productive choice. Later, after his death, I was a member of the 11-member Executive Committee of AIADMK. I was the spokesperson of AIADMK. However, when Mr. OPS made the decision, there was a split again. [O. Panneerselvam] He was unlawfully removed from his position as coordinator. I objected to this. I joined Mr. OPS. But I wasn’t very comfortable. He was a good man but lacked leadership qualities. So I waited. I found leadership qualities in Mr. Vijay [Chief Minister]I liked it. How he behaved long before he came to power, how he treated his party cadre, how he ran Makkal Iyakkam… everything he did for the people attracted me. For a long time I have felt that people have been longing for a leader like MGR. I found that he was the right person. I attended his party. And by God’s grace He gave me a place in Thousand Lights. I won by 15,000 votes. It wasn’t for me. It was just for him because people wanted a change. People wanted Mr. Vijay to become the Prime Minister. That’s why they voted and that’s how I won. Now he identified me [to be the Speaker] because only a few members were experienced. [Senior leader] Mr. Sengottaiyan chose to become Minister. Then my leader said that I should be the Speaker of the Parliament. I accepted. I am very happy that people support our leader. He wants to do good to people. He met with all opposition leaders on the very first day. He wants to ensure clean government.