Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam will chair a Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat in Chennai on Wednesday for the first time since Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals on September 22.
Last week, Acting Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao “on the advice” of the Chief Minister, allocated portfolios handled by her to Mr. Panneerselvam and authorised him to preside over Cabinet meetings in her absence.
It is expected that the Cabinet will take stock of the fallout of the report submitted by the Cauvery High-level Technical Committee to the Supreme Court in which Tamil Nadu’s concerns have reportedly not been adequately addressed. In fact, on Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu government, like Karnataka, sought permission from the Supreme Court to submit its objections to the report.
The opposition parties, with the exception of the BJP, have been aggressively posturing on the Cauvery issue and enthusiastically participated in the 48-hour rail roko called by various farmers’ organisations on Monday and Tuesday across the State. Besides, the DMK, led by its treasurer M.K. Stalin, had submitted a petition to Mr Panneerselvam, seeking the convening of a special session of the Legislative Assembly and an all-party meeting to discuss the State’s stand on the row.
Likewise, with the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission not obtaining any favourable orders from the Madras High Court so far over conducting the local body polls, there are indications that the formal appointment of special officers for governing local bodies could be taken up for discussion at the Cabinet meeting.
A discussion on the preparatory arrangements for the polls to the Aravakurichi and Thanjavur Assembly constituencies and the bypoll to the Thiruparankundram constituency could be part of the agenda. A review of various announcements made during the Budget session is also likely.
Officials did not give any hints when asked if the issue of the government possibly bearing the medical expenses of Ms Jayalalithaa would be deliberated at the meeting.
