Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm welcome from the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and other leaders as he inaugurated the ₹1,260 crore New Integrated Terminal Building (Phase-1) of the Chennai International Airport on Saturday.
Governor R N Ravi, Stalin’s cabinet colleagues including his son Udhayanidhi Stalin, and party MPs Kanimozhi and nephew Dayanidhi also extended him a warm welcome.
In contrast, earlier in the day, Modi faced a ‘hostile’ reception from the Telangana Government, where the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao boycotted the event.
The Chennai airport terminal is designed to showcase the rich culture and heritage of the state, with traditional features such as the rangoli, saree, temples, and other elements that highlight the natural surroundings.
The wavy roofing of the building replicates the pleated costume that fans out attractively during dancer movements of traditional dance form of the state Bharatanatyam.
He also flagged off the Chennai–Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express from Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Station, in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Governor R.N.Ravi, and Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The train will ply at 130 kmph, allowing Coimbatore-bound passengers to save 80 minutes travel time.
However, there was an attempt by Congress to protest against Modi in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Congress’s Scheduled Castes wing chairman Ranjan Kumar, was detained under house arrest after he organised a protest to fly black balloons with the slogan Go Back Modi.
The hash tags #VanakkamModi (Welcome Modi) and #GoBackModi were trending on Twitter.
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