Assembly must function as heart and brain of democracy: Tamil Nadu CM Vijay congratulates Prabhakar on assuming Speaker'

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 13 (HBTV): TVK Chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay congratulated J.C.D. Prabhakar and M. Ravishankar for assuming their respective offices as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

In his maiden speech, the Chief Minister asserted that the House must function as both the 'heart and the brain' of democracy. He stated that it was with this vision that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) proposed J.C.D. Prabhakar to preside over the Assembly, ensuring the House remains a space where every voice is accorded equal importance and value.

'Here, everyone is equal. Even parties represented by a single member in this House must have their views valued equally alongside those expressed by the members of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, who hold a larger mandate. Good suggestions must be accepted, and unsuitable ones rejected. This Assembly must function as both the heart and the brain of democracy. It is with this vision that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has proposed a distinguished individual of great dignity and historic stature to preside over this esteemed Assembly, and today you occupy that Chair,' said CM Vijay.

Earlier, in one of the first major governance decisions of the TVK government, Chief Minister Vijay directed officials to shut down TASMAC liquor retail outlets functioning within a 500-metre radius of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stations within two weeks.

According to an official release, TASMAC currently operates 4,765 liquor shops across the state, of which 717 were found violating the specified distance norms based on a survey ordered by the Chief Minister.

The government stated that the closures include 276 outlets near places of worship, 186 near educational institutions and 255 near bus stands. The decision is significant as TASMAC remains one of Tamil Nadu's largest revenue-generating systems, even as demands for liquor shop closures have persisted across party lines for years.

'With the welfare of the general public in mind, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, C Joseph Vijay, has issued orders to close within two weeks 717 retail liquor shops situated within a 500-metre radius of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stands,' the government release stated.

Meanwhile, the TVK government continued consolidating support in the Assembly amid a fractured mandate.

The ruling party, which emerged as the single-largest force with 108 seats, received backing from Congress, CPI and CPI(M), while also facing fresh political controversy involving Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) MLA S Kamaraj.

AMMK chief T.T.V. Dhinakaran expelled Kamaraj from the party after the MLA extended support to Vijay in the Assembly.

Dhinakaran accused Kamaraj of violating the party's official position and acting independently in favour of the TVK.

The dispute intensified ongoing tensions between the TVK and AMMK over allegations that Kamaraj's support letter had been forged. The TVK denied the claims and released a video purportedly showing the MLA voluntarily backing the Vijay-led government.

From ordering TASMAC closures to engaging opposition leaders and navigating legal and political challenges, the Chief Minister has moved quickly to shape the political narrative in the initial days of the TVK government, even as the ruling party faces scrutiny from both courts and the opposition benches.

(ANI)