The deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the deputy to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, who is the head of the government of Tamil Nadu. The deputy chief minister is the council of ministers of Tamil Nadu's second-highest-ranking member. A deputy chief minister also holds a cabinet portfolio in the state ministry. In the legislative assembly system of government, the chief minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy chief minister is used to govern the state with the support of a single party member to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government, or in times of state emergency when a proper chain of command is necessary. On multiple occasions, proposals have arisen to make the post permanent, but without result. The same goes for the post of deputy prime minister at the national level.