Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin, Minister Duraimurugan, and DMK MPs, including Kanimozhi, T.R. Baalu and Dayanidhi Maran, at the meeting held in Chennai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
A meeting of DMK MPs, chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and and DMK president M.K. Stalin, on Saturday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to grant approval for the Metro Rail projects in Coimbatore and Madurai.
A resolution adopted at the meeting noted that the Chief Minister had met the Prime Minister twice regarding the implementation of Metro Rail projects for Coimbatore, the “Manchester of South India”, and Madurai, the temple city of Tamil Nadu.
“He has also written to the Prime Minister. But the Union government rejected the projects on the grounds that the two cities lacked the mandated two-million population as per the 2011 Census. The Chief Minister said if this were used as a yardstick, the projects in Indore, Patna, and Agra could not have been implemented, and the new guidelines had been created solely for Tamil Nadu,” the resolution stated, condemning the Union government’s silence on the issue.
Another resolution urged the Centre to grant permission for the expansion of airports in Coimbatore and Madurai, as well as for an international terminal in Madurai, stating that such developments were necessary for taking the State’s economy to the next level.
“Developing infrastructure is vital for the progress of a State, and the Dravidian Model government is ensuring uniform development across districts. The BJP, which is keen on securing votes in Tamil Nadu, is not prepared to consider the State’s developmental demands,” the resolution said. The meeting also urged the Centre to increase the permissible moisture content in paddy from 17% to 22%, as farmers were unable to dry the crop due to heavy rain.
The MPs further decided to raise in Parliament the issue of Governor R. N. Ravi sending the Bill for the creation of a university named after former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to the President.
“Instead of granting approval, the Governor has forwarded it to the President. By doing so, he has demonstrated his hostility towards the Dravidian Movement. The MPs will raise the matter and urge the President to grant her assent to the Bill,” the resolution stated.
Published – November 29, 2025 07:44 pm IST
