TN budget on Mar 20: Stormy session ahead

Chennai, Mar 18: The budget session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, scheduled to commence tomorrow, is expected to be stormy as usual with the growing strained relations over the Rajya Sabha election between the ruling DMK and its ally, the PMK, on the one hand, and the Opposition AIADMK and its ally, the MDMK, on the other.

After the House was adjourned sine die on February 1, adopting a motion of thanks to the Governor for his address, the House will meet tomorrow for budget session, which is likely to last for about a month.

On the opening day, the House would be adjourned for the day after passing obituary references to former members of the Assembly and Finance Minister K Anbazhagan would present the State Budget for the year 2008-09 on March 20.

Mr Anbazhagan's third budget, after the DMK came to power in May 2006, is expected to be a soft one as the DMK and its allies were gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for early next year.

The session is expected to be stormy with the possibility of the Opposition to raise several issues like price rise, law and order, the continued harassment and shootout of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and renewed demand for getting back the Katchativu.

UNI