How Tamil Nadu Assembly makes Bigg Boss come alive

The concept of a reality show called Bigg Boss has taken over the state with the force of a storm, drawing the attention of many to watch celebrities stuck inside a set covered with cameras 24/7. But the people of Tamil Nadu have overlooked the fact that they are well acquainted with this style of presenting reality with the Tamil Nadu Assembly. 2017 alone is witness to why any ruling government in the state follows Bigg Boss tactics when it comes to the coverage of the Assembly proceedings.

Even though many a voice has argued for the "live coverage" of one of the biggest legislative asemblies in India, it has been constantly denied.

In 2013, when the court was approached on the issue, the Tamil Nadu government absurdly stated that it didn't have enough funds to provide live relay of the in-house proceedings.

He also acts as his chief MK Stalin's right hand in creating a ruckus. Photo: PTI

The then Opposition leader, Vijayakanth gratuitously offered to do the coverage for free and the embarrassed government didn't even give him a reply. Let's see how the Tamil Nadu Assembly has its own version of the reality show:

1. The Speaker, currently Dhanapal, is the Bigg Boss. His word is final. He will decide who should speak and who shouldn't. He is given the central chair and will watch over every member of the Assembly. His life was so easy when Jayalalitha was alive. But now, the DMK is seen trying his patience as a dutiful Opposition party must, every day.
2. No cellphone is allowed inside the Assembly and if anyone is caught with one, the member can be suspended as per the Speaker's discretion. Adhering to Bigg Boss' rules, strict policy is followed to see to it that no visual gets leaked without editing and without the Speaker's descretion.
3. Just like Bigg Boss, the CM, Opposition leader and other MLAs who have a celebrity status outside, become ordinary citizens inside the Assembly under the Speaker's eye. Just like any other celebrity show, name calling and emotional rants are recorded but no footage is permitted to slip. Thanks to the Bigg Boss (Speaker).
4. A mininum of six steady frame cams are installed around the hall along with countless hand-helds. The directorate of information and public relations is in charge of the coverage.
5. Equipped with a hefty budget and state-of-the-art machines, DIPR still only goes ahead and shoots it with the long-gone, hefty, big tape loaded Beta cams and that too in "Standard Definition" in the era of HD.
6. The real purpose of the Assembly is to discuss matters of the state, but 70 per cent of the ruling government members' time, including that of the ministers, is spent on praising the chief minister (like the leader for a group in Bigg Boss) and how: "Honourable, God of Hearts, Golden Lady, Epitome of Sacrifice, Leader of Sacrifice, Amma".
7. The main purpose of the Opposition team is to only oppose. For this term it is DMK and there has been not a day without the them staging a "walkout". Recently, the Speaker was seen repeatedly complaining about how the DMK tries to dub information carried by the media as scams by the ruling regime and maintained that he would not allow any debate without evidence because in the event of a debate, chief minister Edappadi Palanisamy would have to reply. The Speaker is only graciously saving the CM from many such embarrassments.
8. Every second of the Assembly will be recorded but nothing would be released without editing. And many a time, a fight will break out between the ruling members and the Opposition. Everyone knows that the "naughty boy" status among Assembly members for 2017 goes to DMK leader Duraimurugan. No one could have made the Speaker rise from his chair the way Duraimurugan has. He also acts as his chief MK Stalin's right hand in creating a ruckus.
9. Just like Bigg Boss, the Speaker holds the power to evict unruly members in the Assembly and Stalin was evicted twice from the Assembly in 2017 alone. On the first day of the Assembly's budget discussion, Stalin raised the "MLA Horse Trading issue". The Speaker denied a debate based on media information. Stalin and Duraimurugan then went on to bombard the Speaker. The Speaker even noted that Duraimurugan had made him get up from his chair more than 10 times! Finally, Speaker Dhanapal claimed that he had no option and ordered the Assembly guards for an eviction.
10.  The decidedly rocky and masala moments of the Assembly rarely occur when the "vote of confidence" is asked for. Such an event occurred on February 18, 2017 when all hell broke loose. O Paneerselvam had the support of 11 MLAs and rival EPS had the strength of 120 behind him as two had abstained.
11. The required strength was 118 and DMK had a total of 98 with its allies. Yet, rather than allowing the voting to occur, the DMK disrupted the Assembly twice in one day. Th Speaker's table was broken, DMK's KK Selvam and Ranganathan sat on the Speaker's chair and pretended to act like the Speaker, making a mockery of the Constitution. Finally, the Assembly guards arrived and Stalin was carried out of the House.
12. And the most unfortunate similarity between the reality show and the disruptive state is that just like Bigg Boss, where a leader is chosen every week, Tamil Nadu Assembly is witnessing a new CM every six months after the death of former CM Jayalalithaa in December 2016. What is tragic is that even chief minister Edappadi Palanisamy days as chief minister seem numbered with the soon-to-be-held Presidential elections. And truly sad is the fact that no matter what MK Stalin tries inside the Assembly, he couldn't become the leader of the Bigg Boss Assembly.

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