Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar delivering his address to the Assembly on Thursday
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday (June 18, 2026) delivered his customary address during the first session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, after the government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay assumed office and won the trust vote, marking a smooth start to the House proceedings without any disruptions.
The session began at 10 a.m. with the rendition of the State song Tamil Thaai Vazhthu (Invocation of Mother Tamil), followed by the National Anthem. This was a break from House convention where the National Anthem is played only at the end of the Governor’s Address. This time, it was played towards the end, too. During the erstwhile DMK regime, the previous Governor R.N. Ravi had walked out of the House protesting, among other things, against the Speaker not heeding to his demand to play the National Anthem at the beginning of the session as well.
37-minute-long address
The Governor commenced his speech in English at 10.02 a.m. with former Chief Minister and Dravidian stalwart C.N. Annadurai’s quote, “The people are the true masters of the nation.”
T.N. CM Vijay cites 2021 Assembly centenary event to counter Opposition over National Anthem row
His speech was divided into 57 points. During his speech, the Governor quoted the Thirukkural verse “Pirappokkum Ella Uyirkkum” and B.R. Ambedkar’s statement, “True democracy is the union of all three — equality, liberty and fraternity.” The Governor concluded his 37-minute-long address at 10.39 a.m.
Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar began reading out the Tamil version of the Governor’s address at 10.39 a.m., immediately after the Governor completed his speech. The Speaker concluded his reading at 11.10 a.m., after which the National Anthem was sung. The Governor, after greeting the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Ministers, and MLAs, left the House at 11.11 a.m.
T.N. CM Vijay cites 2021 Assembly centenary event to counter Opposition over National Anthem row
DMK protest
Meanwhile, some DMK members pointed out technical glitches in the gadgets placed in front of them, as they were unable to access the Governor’s address. The glitches were resolved later. The DMK MLAs participated in the Assembly proceedings by wearing black badges that said “Vaai Thiranga CM [Open your mouth, CM]”.
Assembly in session till June 23
After the Governor’s address, a Business Advisory Committee meeting was held, during which it was decided to conduct the Assembly session for three days — June 19, June 22, and June 23.
Briefing journalists, the Speaker said on June 19, obituary references to the passing of former MLAs and condolence resolutions for veteran CPI leader R. Nallakannu, former Assembly Secretary C.K. Ramasamy, film producers R.B. Choudary and K. Rajan, and veteran film director Bharathiraja would be passed.
The Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address will be moved on June 19, and the debate on it will continue on June 22. The reply to the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address will be delivered on June 23. The Assembly session will begin at 9.30 a.m., and the Question Hour will be suspended for these three days. He also thanked the Governor for the smooth conduct of the proceedings on Thursday.
To a question on the National Anthem being rendered both at the beginning and the end of the Governor’s Address, the Speaker said, “There is nothing wrong in rendering the National Anthem twice. What is important is that Tamil Thaai Vazhthu was sung at the beginning.” He added discussions were underway for the live telecast of Assembly proceedings.
Published – June 18, 2026 01:03 pm IST
