Union Home Minister Amit Shah's two-day Chennai visit sparked a controversy on Saturday after street lights went off near the airport at Guindy just as the senior BJP leader was about to leave for his hotel.
The incident resulted in a verbal duel between the BJP and the ruling DMK after the former accused the government of committing a security lapse.
Tamil Nadu BJP state vice president Karu Nagarajan, who staged a protest, said the incident shows a "security lapse" that should be seriously investigated. "This has to be investigated. How can there be a sudden power failure when our leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Chennai airport? This is a security lapse. This should be seriously investigated," Karu Nagarajan told ANI.
Shah is in Chennai as part of the BJP’s month-long campaign marking the nine years of the Narendra Modi government.
The Home Minister will also attend a meeting of party workers from the Chennai South Parliamentary constituency on Sunday morning. He will later address a public meeting in Pallikonda near Vellore in the afternoon and leave for Andhra Pradesh in the evening.
Ahead of his visit to the state, Chief Minister M K Stalin hit out at Shah comparing the BJP's contributions to the state with that of the UPA government's. Stalin has demanded that Shah release a list of special schemes implemented for Tamil Nadu in the past nine years.
"I am asking this question," Stalin said addressing a meet of party functionaries last week. "Many special schemes were brought to Tamil Nadu during the Congress-led coalition government at the Centre," he said, referring to the "special initiatives" implemented during the UPA government in which the DMK was a constituent.
Stalin said the first phase of the Chennai Metro Rail was implemented during the Congress rule while 11 per cent of the project spent by the Union government was brought to the State.
"As many as 69 important schemes were implemented, Tamil was declared a classical language, Central Institute of Classical Tamil was set up, highway projects to the tune of Rs 56,664.21 crore were implemented in TN and the Sethusamudram project was launched," Stalin said.
"The list will go on and on," Stalin said and challenged Shah to present such a list of special schemes implemented by the BJP-led Centre for Tamil Nadu.
"Does he have the ability to give a list; he should list out the schemes tomorrow...he should get the courage and ability to say that this is what they have done for Tamil Nadu. Will he get (the courage) it? No."
