3-day House session offered more focus to EPS

Almost 80 per cent of the AIADMK MLAs and ministers, who were allowed by the speaker P Dhanapal to address showered encomiums in praise of Palaniswami, while the name of Panneerselvam was just a passing reference in the Assembly.

Besides the usual adages like – Kongunattu thangam, friends of farmers, a new title card was added for EPS — Arrears Maanavargalin Alayame —which translates to the temple of arrear students—by the ruling AIADMK MLAs. For OPS, the usual adage of Thenpandi Singam , Porumaiyin Sigaram were mentioned by the AIADMK legislators.

After Palaniswami announced that a new varsity would be established in Villupuram by bifurcating Thiruvalluvar University, State ministers C Vijaya Baskar, KP Anbazhagan and C Ve Shanmugham took turns portraying the “Edapaddiar” rule as a golden period where the maximum number of government colleges for medicine, arts and science and law have come up in Tamil Nadu. The DMK MLAs also read out rhetoric phrases that would please the DMK family starting with its patriarch Kalaignar, Opposition leader MK Stalin, son Udayanidhi Stalin, Stalin’s half-sister Kanimozhi and finally the DMK district secretaries.

To their part, the government officials ranging from police to Information Department extended maximum branding and public relation exercise for Palaniswami. Multiple visits by DT Next to the chamber of Opposition floor leader MK Stalin, deputy CM OPS, speaker Dhanapal revealed that the Chief Minister got the lion share starting from furniture to the king-size rooms. A temporary “Vasantha Mandapam” was also established in the temporarily arranged Assembly venue for him to hold any inter-party meetings with the MLAs and ministers. Among the officials, the IAS officers coming under the portfolio of Chief Minister had dedicated rooms. The corridor leading to the Chief Minister chamber at Kalaivanar Arangam had digital posters of former AIADMK leader and late chief minister J Jayalalithaa along with Palaniswami.