Bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was on full display on Saturday during the former's visit here, as it came in the backdrop of persistent political face-offs between the ruling DMK in the state and the BJP.
Incidentally, BJP state chief K Annamalai, who has already levelled allegations of irregularities against the ruling dispensation, has said he will soon release what he described as a "corruption list" involving the DMK ministers.
Modi was received by Stalin on Saturday afternoon at the Chennai airport. The PM was in the city to attend various official engagements.
After a warm reception at the Chennai Airport, the CM, also the DMK president, briefly held the PM's hand and patted on the back of the latter's palm while walking through the displays exhibited at the new Chennai airport terminal.
The display of camaraderie comes at a time when the DMK is politically opposed to the BJP at the Centre and Stalin batting for a Congress-led opposition unity against the NDA government. The state leaders of the two parties have been sparring over a number of issues.
The warm gesture between the two top leaders also came just hours after the PM had launched a political tirade on the leadership of the Telangana where he had visited earlier in the day. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhara Rao did not attend PM Modi's event in Hyderabad.
While speaking at Hyderabad after inaugurating railway projects and developmental schemes, Modi attacked the Telangana state leadership for "obstructing" the developmental projects being implemented in there by the Centre. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was seated on stage as the PM launched his attack on the state leadership.
It was after the events in Telangana that the Prime Minister reached Chennai airport around 2.45 pm.
Tamil Nadu has been witnessing war of words between the DMK and the opposition BJP apart from the ruling dispensation's issues with the state governor, RN Ravi.
Ravi had very recently kicked up a political storm by saying the 2018 anti-Sterlite protests by people were completely "foreign-funded".
While responding to a question on Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) violations during an event at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Thursday, the governor had said "Sterlite protest, it was purely foreign-funded, and the entire activities which led to the protest and the unfortunate police firing that cost innocent lives."
DMK had reacted sharply to these comments saying it was an insult to the people who not only participated in huge numbers against the functioning of the Sterlite plant over pollution concerns but even gave their lives in their struggle. At least 13 people were killed when police opened fire at anti-Sterlite protestors in Thoothukudi. DMK had threatened statewide protests against the governor's remarks.
Meanwhile, the ruling DMK's ally Congress party had threatened to hold a black flag demonstration at the airport to protest the arrival of Modi in the state amid disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha member, following his conviction in a court case over the Modi surname remark.
Only days before the PM arrived did Stalin write to him demanding that three coal blocks identified in the Cauvery Delta region of the state be removed from the national auction list.
The centre was quick to remove the three blocks from the list, even Annamalai issued a statement thanking the PM for his swift response to the saffron party's demands.
In such an atmosphere, of the three events the PM was to participate in Chennai, Stalin not only participated in the first one where the Prime Minister inaugurated Chennai Airport's new integrated terminal, but also expressed some warmth.
Stalin received the PM at the Chennai airport and later both together, with Governor Ravi in tow among others including Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, took a walk around the newly integrated terminal.
The PM then went on to his next stop which was to flag off Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express from the MGR Chennai Central Station, which was also attended by Stalin.
