Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Thoppur on Sunday.
Later, he would address a public meeting organised by the BJP at the Vajpayee grounds. Both the meetings are being organised at the same venue in Mandela Nagar, along the Inner Ring Road, with separate stages.
'Any political concept that opposes the poor cannot benefit anyone'
Prime Minister asked the people of Tamil Nadu to be wary about certain self centred forces that were trying to create suspicion and mistrust on the 10% reservation brought by the centre for the economically weaker sections among the upper castes.
Addressing a massive public meeting organised by Bhartiya Janta Party, he said that the reservation for the poor was brought in such a way that it did not impact the already available reservation for the Dalits, tribals and other backward communities.
He said that any political concept that opposes the poor cannot benefit anyone.
NDA govt giving great priority to health , says Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "AIIMS in Delhi has cultivated a brand name for itself in healthcare. This has been taken to all corners of the country - from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, from Guwahati to Gujarat.
"AIIMS in Madurai will be constructed at a cost of more than Rs. 1200 crores. It will benefit all the people of Tamil Nadu," he says.
"The NDA govt is giving great priority to the health sector, so health care is affordable to everyone.
"I am happy to inaugurate the super speciality hospitals in Madurai, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli," he says.
Modi lays foundation stone for AIIMS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation ceremony of All India Institute of Medical Sciences along with Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, in Madurai on Sunday.
Prime Minister laid foundation stone for All India Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital to come up in Thoppur in Madurai at a cost of Rs. 1264 Crore. Project expected to get over in 45 months.
Thanking PM Modi for AIIMS, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami makes a request for sanctioning funds in the upcoming Union budget to set up a medical college hospital in Ramanathapuram district, which has been chosen as an aspirational district by the Union government.
Request for AIIMS in Tamil Nadu was made by Jayalalithaa: O. Panneerselvam
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam thanks PM Modi for setting up an AIIMS institute in Madurai. "This will help the backward sections from the southern parts of the State," he says.
He says the request for AIIMS in Tamil Nadu was made by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Mr. Panneerselvam goes on to thank Mr. Modi for his intervention to lift the ban on jallikattu.
Vaiko leads protest at Madurai Periyar bus stand
MDMK leader Vaiko protesting at Madurai Periyar bus stand junction ahead of PM Modi's visit.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko, who is protesting at the Madurai Periyar bus stand junction, says he will not leave till Prime Minister Modi leaves Madurai.
Showing black flags and setting off black balloons, Mr. Vaiko says, "Laying foundation stone for the AIIMS now was nothing but a political stunt and well timed ahead of the Lok Sabha election." Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Vaiko said that the BJP cannot set its foot in Tamil Nadu and the party would be shown the doors in the LS elections. "This was the beginning of the end", he claims.
"We are not against the police. You are Tamil too. We are against PM Narendra Modi who has betrayed Tamils," he says.
What does his visit mean?
There have been reports in sections of the media that the PMK, the DMDK and the Puthiya Tamizhagam may be part of a possible AIADMK-BJP coalition, despite repeated assertions by leaders of the AIADMK, the BJP and the PMK that such reports are speculative in nature and that nothing has been finalised.
What is evident is that the BJP is keen on boosting its footprint in Tamil Nadu, at a time when the State’s two dominant leaders – M. Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa – are no longer in the political scene. After all, the last time the BJP put up a modest performance in the State was 20 years ago.
Tight security in place
The police have put in place elaborate security arrangements, deploying around 5,000 personnel around the venue in Mandela Nagar. A team of the Special Protection Group is closely monitoring the arrangements.
