In An Air of Cordiality, Sharp-edged Politics on Display in PM Modi’s Chennai Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin during the ceremony for foundation stone laying and dedication to the nation of multi-crore infrastructure projects, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Chennai, Thursday, May 26, 2022. (PTI Photo)

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Chennai on Thursday for his first visit since MK Stalin took over as chief minister, the most-asked question was, will #GoBackModi trend upon his arrival? Fair question, considering it always had been the case, every time the PM came to Chennai. But that was when the DMK was in the opposition, flexing its social media muscle just to prove a point.

Now, in power, Stalin spearheads one of the most urbanised states in the country. His government is on an overdrive in signing MoUs with manufacturers and exporters. In fact, as Prime Minister Modi landed in Chennai, Stalin’s industries minister Thangam Thennarasu was in Davos, Switzerland, speaking to global CEOs about what the south Indian state had to offer.

Still, the hashtag did make it to the trends list.The DMK counts among a notable crop of regional parties staunchly in a standoffish mode against the BJP-led Centre. In fact, Stalin’s party started off by making it a point to term it the “Union Government", decidedly avoiding the word Centre. In their words, the Union Government is closer to cooperative federalism. From there, Stalin’s government has been a check to many political moves from the Centre. From opposing alleged attempts to impose Hindi through the National Education Policy to crying themselves hoarse about GST dues, the NEET exemption bill, and higher tax devolution, the Stalin government has been a major irritant for the Centre.

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