Chennai April 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday amid growing political turmoil over the Cauvery water issue and black flag protests by Opposition parties.
Modi who arrived by a special aircraft from New Delhi was received at the airport by Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Pon Radhakrishnan Governor Banwarilal Purohit Chief Minister E. Palaniswami Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan.
After a brief reception he left for Mamallapuram about 55 km from here from where he would reach the temple town of Tiruvidanthai to formally inaugurate the Defence Expo-2018 which began here on Wednesday.
Later he would unveil the diamond jubilee plaque at the Adyar Cancer Institute.
Earlier a press conference was planned with the Prime Minister at the IIT-Madras adjacent to the Cancer Institute but it failed to materialise.
The police have made tight security arrangements in view of the visit.
Meanwhile opposition parties inclduing the DMK various fringe outfits and Tamil organisations greeted the Prime Minister with black flag protests to condemn the Centre for its failure to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) as directed by the Supreme Court.
The six-week deadline set by the Apex Court ended on March 29 and the Centre keeping the next month s Assembly elections in Karnataka in mind filed a clarification plea in the Court at the last minute and sought three months time to implement its order by which time the polling process in the neighbouring state would have been concluded.
DMK leader M.K. Stalin along with his party cadres protested in Sirkazhi Nagapattinam district by wearing black shirts.
The DMK has appealed to the people to hoist black flags atop their houses and stage demonstrations against the Prime Minister.
Activsits of fringe parties including the Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) led by T. Velmurugan Tamil Nationalist Movement headed by P. Nedumaran also staged demonstration in front of the Alandur Metro station in Chennai.
MLAs Tamimum Ansari and Thaniarasi along with SDPI members were arrested in Tirisoolam near the airport.
Similarly members of the newly-formed Tamilaga Kalai Illakiya Panpattu Maiyam by noted filmmakers Bharathiraaja Ameeer Gouthaman and Thangarbachan were also arrested as they staged a black flag protest at the airport.
As the political atmosphere in the state remained tense and surcharged following unending protests on the Cauvery issue the remaining six IPL matches of the Chennai Super Kings were shifted to Pune.
--IANS
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