TN Assembly session begins Mar 22

Chennai, Mar 5 (UNI) The Budget Session of Tamil Nadu Assembly will begin here on March 22.

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala had summoned the Assembly to meet at 0930 hrs on the day, according to a communique from the Raj Bhavan.

Assembly Speaker R Avudaiyappan told reporters the House would pass a condolence motion on March 22 on the demise of AIADMK MLA S V Shanmugam and then adjourn for the day.

Finance Minister K Anbazhagan would present the Budget for the year 2007-08 on March 23.

The nearly 40-day session is expected to be stormy with Opposition gearing up to take on the Treasury benches on various issues, including the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's final award, Mullaperiyar and the recent seizure of a huge cache of explosives off the state's coast.

Pattali Makkal Katchi, an ally of the ruling DMK which had been striking a discordant note of late, was also likely to cross swords with the government on issues such as entry of multi-nationals into the retail sector in the state.

UNI