Black flag protests in Tamil Nadu against PM Modi’s Madurai visit today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to visit Tamil Nadu’s Madurai on Sunday, is likely to face massive protests by the Opposition parties. Accusing the prime minister of “ignoring” Tamil Nadu’s interests, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) would stage a black flag demonstration against the prime minister.

On Saturday, MDMK chief Vaiko had said that his party workers will wave black flags at Modi upon his arrival in the state. Vaiko also clarified that the protest was against Modi and his government at the Centre and not against the AIIMS hospital. The MDMK chief said that the Centre was functioning against the interests of the state.

The prime minister is visiting the South Indian state to lay the foundation-stone of AIIMS hospital in Madurai. Questioning the intent of the visit, DMK leader MK Stalin had also launched a scathing attack on Modi over the unfulfilled promises made by him.

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"His government for four-and-a-half years had focused only on implementing a five-point agenda - Ram Temple, cow protection, Hindi Imposition, Sankritisation and hatred towards minorities" Stalin had said Friday during a rally in Chennai.

The DMK president said that the BJP government at the Centre had promised AIIMS hospitals across the country. In 2015, the government said that it will build AIIMS in five states, including Tamil Nadu.

“If they were really keen on doing it, they would have done that. Even if someone had started walking, they would have reached here by now. Even now, Modi is coming only to lay foundation stone, not inauguration,” Stalin said.

He said that the Modi government had even promised 100 smart cities across India and 11 of them were to be developed in Tamil Nadu. “Show me one smart city that is there across India,” he asked.

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With PM Modi’s visits ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is hoping to increase its footprints in Tamil Nadu. In 2014 general elections, the party could only manage to win only one of the total 39 seats. However, as per several pre-poll surveys, the BJP may not even open its account in the southern state and the UPA (Congress+DMK) was predicted to win all the 39 seats.