Prime Minister started his address in Coimbatore with BJP’s war cry in Tamil Nadu “ Vetrivel, Veera vel( Victorious spear, courageous spear) referring to party’s Vetrivel Yatra’ organised last year. He also quoted a couplet from Thirukkural to highlight the importance of farming.
Modi, after inaugurating a slew of projects worth Rs. 3,023 crore project in Pudhcheery left for Coimbatore to dedicate the nation NLC’s two 500MW thermal power plants built at a cost of Rs.8,000 crore and a 709mw solar plant in Thoothukudi. In a function held at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex, Modi said “Vetri Vel” and the crowd replied “Veeral Vel”. He repeated this slogan thrice with a gap to allow the crowd to respond by saying the second part of the slogan. After the Karuppar Koottam which made obscene comments on Lord Muruga’s hymn ‘Skanda Sashti Kavacham’, TN BJP chief L Murugan led Vetri vel yatra successfully amid hurdles and troubles from the AIADMK government.
PM Modi said, “My government does not want small farmers to feel dependent on anyone or feel suffocated due to middlemen. The PM Kisan scheme just completed just two years yesterday. 11 crore farmers have gained from this scheme. The foundation stone to modernize the Bhavanisagar dam is being laid. This will irrigate over two lakh acres of land benefitting Erode, Tirupur and Karur districts. The project will be a great benefit to our farmers. I am reminded of the words of the great Thiruvalluvar. He said Uthuvundu Vazhvare vazhvar mattravar ellam thozhtundu pin selvar. It means the farmers are the ones truly live and all others live because of them, worshipping them”.
PM Modi said, “ Tamil Nadu is making a major contribution to India’s industrial growth. One of the basic needs of the industry to grow is power supply. Today I dedicate to the nation two more power projects and lay the foundation stone for one more power project. The 790 MW solar power project is developed by NLC in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar districts. The cost of this power plant of NLC is over 3,000 crore rupees. Another 1000 MW thermal power project of NLC constructed at a total cost of almost 7,800 crores, will be a great help to Tamil Nadu. Over 65 percent of power from this project will be given to Tamil Nadu”
“Tamil Nadu has a glorious history of sea trade and port development. I am happy to launch various projects related to VO Chidambaranar Port, Thoothukudi. We recall the efforts of the great freedom fighter VOC. His vision for the vibrant Indian shipping industry and maritime development inspires us greatly. The new project will further strengthen the cargo handling ability of the port and will even support the green port initiative. It will be made a big trans-shipment port in the east when our ports are more efficient, it contributes to Bharat being Aatmanirbhar and a global hub for trades as well as logistics”, PM Modi added.
Explaining port development, he said, “Under the Sagarmala scheme, about 575 projects at a total cost of over six lakh crore rupees have been identified for implementation during the 2015-2035 period. These works cover port-linked industrialization and coastal community development. The new Multi-Modal Logistical project is going to be launched soon at Mappedu near Sirperumbudhur in Chennai. The 8-laning of Korampallam Bridge and Rail over Bridge was also taken under the Sagarmala scheme. It will facilitate seamless and congestion-free transit to and from the Port. It will reduce the turnaround time of the cargo trucks”.
PM Modi inaugurated 4,144 tenements in Tirupur, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli districts, built at an estimated cost of Rs. 332 crores. These houses will be handed over to those who never had a roof over their head after 70 long years of independence.
Tamil Nadu is a heavily industrialized state. Both the GOI and the TN state government are committed to the all-round growth of the cities. He also laid the foundation stone for integrated command and control Centres in smart cities across Tamil Nadu to provide intelligent and integrated IT solutions to manage various services across these cities.
Modi also inaugurated several infrastructure and housing projects for western and southern regions including integrated command control centres in nine smart cities, a rail over-bridge and widening of the Korampallam Surplus Centre. These are meant for VO Chidambaranar Port Trust in Thoothukudi. PM Modi has launched various projects a total worth of Rs. 12,400 crores.
Referring to the first round of seat-sharing parleys between DMK and Congress, Modi described it as ‘corruption hackathons’. “Their leaders sit and brainstorm how to loot the nation”, said PM Modi while addressing a mammoth public gathering in the evening.
