Trichy (Tamil Nadu), March 11 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation, and lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth about Rs 5,650 crore here on Wednesday.
He will later address the NDA rally at around 6.30 pm during his brief visit to the state. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran, TMC leader G K Vasan, and other leaders will share the stage with the prime minister at the rally.
BJP Tamil Nadu in-charge Piyush Goyal, who arrived here ahead of the prime minister's visit, said the NDA will collectively dethrone the DMK government in the upcoming election and bring in good governance that was once seen during the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's reign.
“The NDA will form the government under the leadership of Edappadi K Palaniswami, and it is a strong alliance,” he said, speaking to reporters here on Tuesday night.
On the speculation of Vijay-led TVK joining the NDA, Goyal replied, “Ask Palaniswami, who is the leader of the alliance.”
“As far as I know, we are together in the present setup and working to strengthen the NDA. We will go to the people with a strong, committed alliance for the welfare of the people…. I am sure people will vote for good governance under Palaniswami,” the Union minister said.
He claimed that Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin has “understood his end game” and was facing the biggest threat to his position from his son Udhayanidhi and hence was describing the Assembly elections as a contest between the Tamil Nadu team vs Delhi team.
“The people of Tamil Nadu have made up their mind that they will never accept anti-Tamil persons and those totally against Tamil culture and pride. Udhayanidhi is not accepted by the people of the state,” Goyal said.
Earlier, the prime minister said in a post on the social media platform 'X' that the "DMK is clearly rattled by the NDA’s rising popularity across the state. The people of Tamil Nadu have seen through the misgovernance and unfulfilled promises of DMK. That is why they are connecting with NDA’s agenda of hope and progress."
In another post, he informed that the Union Cabinet, chaired by him in the national capital, approved the declaration of Madurai Airport as an International Airport. "This will boost tourism, trade and economic opportunities across southern Tamil Nadu in particular. Madurai, a city celebrated for its timeless culture and spiritual heritage, is set to strengthen its global connect," Modi said.
The projects to be launched include petroleum and natural gas infrastructure, lubricants manufacturing, rural connectivity, highway development and railway services.
In the petroleum sector, the PM will lay the foundation stone for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s City Gas Distribution Network in Nilgiris and Erode districts at an investment of more than Rs 3,680 crore. The project will provide PNG connections to over 8.8 lakh households, supply gas to more than 200 commercial establishments and establish over 201 CNG stations.
He would dedicate to the nation the Rs 1,490 crore IOCL Lube Plant with a capacity of 672 Thousand Metric Tonnes Per Annum at Manali in Chennai. The plant will strengthen India’s lubricants manufacturing capacity.
The prime minister will inaugurate 89 rural roads spanning 370 km in Tamil Nadu, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, significantly improving the connectivity to markets, schools and healthcare facilities in rural areas.
He will lay the foundation stone for a greenfield bypass near Gangaikonda Cholapuram on NH-81, a release said.
Also, he will flag off two Amrit Bharat Express trains, two express trains and a passenger train service, strengthening rail connectivity between Tamil Nadu and other regions, including Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and eastern India.