Union Interior Minister Amit Shah arrived in Chennai on Saturday, where he will participate in three events.
According to Shah’s schedule for Chennai released by his office, the interior minister will first pay flower tributes to MG Ramachandran and the former prime minister, the late Jayalalithaa at 4:30 pm. Ten minutes later, Shah will open and lay the foundation stone for several development projects worth Rs 67,000 crore, including Phase 2 of the Chennai Metrol Rail.
Finally, at 6pm, he will meet with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officials and district chairmen in Tamil Nadu, and is expected to discuss the Tamil Nadu elections scheduled for next year. He’s on a two-day visit to Chennai.
At the airport, Shah was greeted by Tamil Nadu Prime Minister K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam, senior cabinet members, and BJP state president L Murugan, among others.
As soon as Shah’s convoy left the airport, the interior minister was shocked when he practically broke protocol, got out of his vehicle, and walked the busy GST Road outside the airport to greet his followers. He warmly greeted the overjoyed fans who had packed the airport since morning.
The video of Shah walking down GST Road was tweeted by his official name.
Shah’s vsit comes at a time when BJP’s relationship with his southern partner, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), is strained by the former’s Vetrivel yatra (victorious march of the spear). The state government has denied permission citing Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, calling it “divisive” by the AIADMK spokesperson. However, BJP members have continued the yatra through Tamil Nadu since November 6, courting arrests and later released.
A crucial consultative meeting was also held on Friday in which the BJP showed its reluctance to accept Prime Minister Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) as the candidate for the highest post in the 2021 Assembly elections, said a leader of the party under condition of anonymity.
Last month, after days of struggle for internal power, Paneerselvam had officially announced Palaniswami as the AIADMK’s top ministerial candidate.
Heavy security cover has been provided in Chennai for Shah’s visit. It will depart for New Delhi on Sunday.
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