Amid being a historical session with potential modifications and transformations, the ongoing Assembly session in Tamil Nadu had presented a big shock for the MLAs as they going to miss what has been operational for a decade. Breaking the typical culture, Chief Minister MK Stalin has strictly ordered the ministers and heads of the department not to carry out the practice of providing free lunch and gifts to the legislators during the assembly session. He instructed the officials to get rid of the practice and ordered the MLAs to make their own arrangements for lunch or have it in the assembly pantry. 

In what has become a move of thrift in curbing the financial burden, MK Stalin's order has added a factor of why his first budget session as the Chief Minister would be historical. It was a typical practice of the ministers and heads of the departments to provide free lunch and gifts for the MLAs when their demand for more funds was taken up during the budget session. Besides boycotts and debates, it had been a practice of each department to organize the feast after winning big in the budget. 

According to reports, it has been a practice for more than a decade when the ministers would also provide elite gifts and grand lunches to the members. It has been reported that each department would have spent Rs 3 lakh a day to feed more than 1,000 people including MLAs, ministers, staff, police, and media persons. There were also occasions when MLAs were served breakfast at the Chepauk MLA hostel. While there has been no separate allocation for such an affable culture, the departments would make the members happy by spending from their own coffers. 

Some of the gifts include watches, electronic goods, handicraft items, trolley bags, and suitcases.  Speaking to a news agency, a former MLA has said that the members would sign the registers kept in the library and get the gifts from the department staff. This culture had increased after the demise of then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. As MK Stalin has assumed power in the state, he has now ordered the ministers and departments not to provide such free lunch and gifts to the MLAs and called the legislators to make their own arrangements for meals.

An official said that Stalin has decided to end this practice as it has lowered the dignity and decorum of the assembly. The budgetary session will be taking place till September 21 and late last week, MK Stalin's government has presented the revised budget and it also has presented the agriculture budget for the first time in the history of Tamil Nadu. It must be noted that the demands will be taken up for debate between August 23 to September 21.