Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday to formally inaugurate Defence Expo - 'Defexpo-2018' at Thiruvadanthai even as cadres of opposition parties and pro-Tamil groups wearing a black dress and black flags protesting the centre for not constituting the Cauvery Management Board as per the Supreme Court order.
Modi who arrived at the Chennai airport was welcomed by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman among other. He boarded an airforce helicopter to visit the Defence Expo at Thiruvadanthai, 40 km from here. After the Defexpo, he will take the chopper again to attend an event at Cancer Institute at Adyar. For his visit, a special helipad has been set up at IIT Madras and a portion of a compound was demolished to lay a makeshift road to reach the Cancer Institute to avoid hitting the main road.
As many as 7000 police personnel have been deployed at various points to prevent the cadres of the political parties and pro-Tamil groups from getting anywhere near the venues of Prime Minister. Even though Prime Minister would be flying to the events, police have barred traffic in Sardar Patel Road where Cancer Institute is located leading to heavy traffic snarls in the adjoining roads.
Protests were held in various parts of the city by cadres of DMK led opposition parties and pro-Tamil groups wearing black dress with black flags and black balloons.
Hours before his arrival, supporters of Tamizhaga Valvurimai Katchi staged a protest with black flags outside the airport at the arrival gate while about 10 cadres climbed atop a big hoarding started shouting slogans "Go Back Modi". The police rounded up the cadres on the ground while those who climbed atop the hoarding remained there shouting slogans against the centre. Cadres of various pro-Tamil groups including TVK and Naam Tamilar Katchi who staged a protest at St Thomas Mount near the airport were also detained by the police.
Film directors Bharathiraja, Ameer, Vetrimaran and Gowthaman who staged a protest outside the airport raising slogans against Modi and seeking CMB were detained by the police. The hashtag #GoBackModi trended in the Twitter coinciding with the visit of Prime Minister to Chennai.
DMK working president MK Stalin who is undertaking Cauvery Rights Retrieval March in the delta districts wore a black shirt and trousers as a mark of protest against Modi's visit. Leaders of Congress, CPI, CPI (M), VCK and MDMK and cadres accompanying Stalin also wore the black dress. Black flags were also hoisted at the DMK headquarters and also at the residences of Stalin at Alwarpet and his father and party chief M Karunanidhi's Gopalapuram residence. A picture of DMK president M Karunanidhi who is confined at his residence due to health reason wearing a black shirt in his wheelchair was shared by the DMK's twitter handle.
In a tweet, Stalin said that people across the state are wearing a black dress and hoisted a black flag at their residences to express their protest and condemnation for the non-formation of the Cauvery Management Board. "At least now you wake up and take action," he said, asking the Prime Minister who opted to fly over to different venues in the city and its suburbs instead of hitting the road, to take a look down from his chopper to understand the sentiments of the people expressed through the black flags hoisted at their houses and immediately withdraw the centre's clarification petition from the Supreme Court on Cauvery issue. "If not, black fire cannot be put off. #GoBackModi," he wrote.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko staged a protest near Raj Bhavan against Prime Minister's visit. He hit out at the BJP government at the centre and Prime Minister for betraying Tamil Nadu's farmers. Cadres of DMK and its allies also staged a protest in various parts of the state and hoisted black flags at their residence and offices to register the protest against the centre. A mega black balloon was putout atop the resident of former Chennai mayor and DMK South Chennai district secretary M Subramanian at Guindy.
Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan posted a video appeal on Twitter to Prime Minister urging him to form the CMB. "Greetings, I am Kamal Haasan. I am a citizen. This is an open video to my Prime Minister. You know the situation in the TN. People here are protesting seeking justice. Justice has been delivered, but you have to implement it. Common man and intellectuals have started believing that the delay was because of the Karnataka elections. It is dangerous and as well as shameful too. I hope you will change it. You have to set up Cauvery Management Board to provide justice to farmers of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This is your responsibility and to remind you is my right. I have also written a letter in this regard to you,"
