Chennai to get three hours of PM Narendra Modi on Valentine's Day

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Chennai for around three hours on February 14 to lay the foundation for several projects of the state government and inaugurate those that have been completed at a grand function to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam are likely to have an informal talk with the Prime Minister after the function at the stadium.

The Prime Minister will arrive at Chennai airport at 10.40 am and reach the programme venue by helicopter. He is scheduled to leave for Kochi at 1.35 pm. BJP sources said the party would be giving a rousing reception to the Prime Minister at the airport. However, as of now, there is no party-level meeting with the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, DMK general secretary Durai Murugan, in a statement here, charged that the AIADMK was trying to cheat the Prime Minister as the foundation for the scheme was laid way back in 2009 during the previous DMK regime when M Karunanidhi was Chief Minister.

Durai Murugan said for the first phase of the Cauvery-Gundar linking project, the then DMK regime had allocated Rs 165 crore for establishing a barrage near Mayanur on Cauvery river and the work was completed. Following this, it was planned to divert the flood water in the Cauvery through Agniyar-South Vellar-Manimuthar-Vaigai-Gundar by laying a new canal from the southern part of the new barrage.

"Had the DMK formed the government in 2011, the Cauvery-Gundar linking project would have been completed much earlier. But the AIADMK government had been saying that this scheme was pending for many years. At last, the policy note for the Public Works Department for 2020-21 said Rs 700 crore has been allocated for this,” he added.

"The AIADMK government is trying to cheat the Prime Minister by making him lay the foundation for a project which was started many years ago. But can the Prime Minister afford to get cheated?", Durai Murugan asked.