Chennai: Perhaps the saffron party can take a cue from State Dairy Minister K. T. Rajendra Balaji in countering the agitations planned by DMK during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chennai on April 12 to inaugurate the DefExpo at Thiruvidanthai, about 40 km from here, on East Coast Road.
Retorting to DMK’s black flag agitation planned on that day, the Minister said green flags would be waved at the PM welcoming him to the city. “If they show black flags, we will wave green flags at the Prime Minister and welcome him,” Mr. Balaji said reacting to the opposition parties’ protest.
On Sunday, DMK working president M.K. Stalin said in Thanjavur that black flags would be shown at the PM to express the discontentment of the Tamil people against the Union Government for failing to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) within six weeks as said by the Supreme Court in its Feb. 16 order on the Cauvery water dispute.
Speaking at Sillathur village on Sunday during his Cauvery Rights Retrival yatra organised by nine opposition parties including DMK, Mr Stalin had said the opposition parties urge the people of the state to hoist black flags at their houses and wear black clothes on April 12 when the PM visits.
MDMK chief Vaiko has appealed to the people to hoist black flags at their houses during the PM’s visit. Security has been stepped up in view of the PM’s visit.
“It is not our agenda to be hostile towards the Centre or be belligerent. If they show black flags, we will (counter it and) show green flags,” Mr. Rajendra Balaji said in Virudhunagar on Monday.
A host of BJP leaders including the State president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan have condemned the black flag demonstration. “I construe that the DMK-Congress combine are showing black flags at themselves for deceiving the people of Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue and not at the PM. The people of TN will always appreciate and respect Mr. Modi’s good initiatives for the overall development of the state,” Mr Radhakrishnan said.
“We expect the people of TN to welcome the Prime Minister. Opposition parties should not create any problems,” Tamil Official Language & Tamil Culture Minister K. Pandiarajan said.
