Addressing a function to launch development projects in Tamil Nadu worth 67000 crore rupees in Chennai this evening, he said the schemes were not meant to just help Tamil Nadu but were its due which the Modi government had ensured. He said his government was ready for a debate on whether the state got more help during the UPA’s 10 year rule or during the tenure of the NDA government.
Referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, he said India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi had faced the challenge more successfully than many developed countries. He complimented the Tamil Nadu Government for its exemplary performance in this regard.
Earlier, the Home Minister laid the foundation stone for the 61800 crore second phase of the Chennai metro rail project and dedicated Chennai’s fifth reservoir at Thervoy Kandigai to the people of the city. He also laid the foundation stone for an elevated expressway on the Coimbatore- Avanashi road, a new barrage across the Cauvery river in Karur district, the Chennai Trade Centre expansion project and 3 IOC projects – a terminal at Vallur, a new lube plant at Amullavoiyal and a captive terminal at Kamarajar port.
He also paid floral tributes to the portraits of former Chief Ministers MG Ramachandran and Jayalalitha at the event. In another development, both Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam – coordinators of the AIADMK- said the party’s alliance with the BJP would continue for the 2021 Assembly elections.
Earlier,Union Home Minister Amit Shah received a rousing welcome from hundreds of BJP and AIADMK cadres in Chennai when he arrived on a two-day visit to the city. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and Cabinet Ministers received him at the airport.
Welcome arches decorated with flowers and fruits were erected at the airport premises. Cadres from the BJP and AIADMK gathered on the roadsides, waving party flags and beating drums as his convoy travelled by road to a hotel in the city. Surprised by the unusual reception, the Minister stopped his car and got down from the vehicle. He conducted a brief road show, waving his hand to an enthusiastic crowd of party workers.