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As Protesters Plan Black Flags, PM Modi Will Hover Over Chennai In Chopper

As Protesters Plan Black Flags, PM Modi Will Hover Over Chennai In Chopper

The East Coast road would be completely shut an hour ahead of PM Modi's visit to keep protesters at bay.

Tamil Nadu | Written by J Sam Daniel Stalin | Updated: April 11, 2018 23:59 IST

CHENNAI:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Tamil Nadu visit on Thursday would be without any public road drive as some opposition parties and Tamil outfits plan to show black flags to protest against the centre for not constituting the Cauvery Management Board despite the Supreme Court order.

On arrival at the Chennai airport in an Indian Air Force plane, the PM would hop into a chopper and land right at the ongoing Defence Expo venue near Mahabalipuram. PM Modi's drive here would only be inside the premises. 

Defence Expo 2018

The East Coast road would be completely shut an hour ahead of PM Modi's visit to keep protesters at bay.

On his return to Chennai to participate in another event, the Prime Minister would again avoid a drive from the Chennai airport, and would land at the helipad constructed inside the IIT Madras campus to attend the function in the adjoining Adyar Cancer Institute. 

Authorities have razed a wall between the two campuses to enable PM Modi's car drives to the venue without having to come to the main road where protesters could gather. 

The PM would once again fly within the city from the IIT campus to the airport, a distance of 10 kilometres.

Slamming the prime minister, MDMK chief Vaiko said, "Can't you go by road instead of a helicopter?"

Film director P Barathiraja, who had spearheaded the massive protest on Tuesday against Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in Chennai, confirmed the black flag protest against the prime minister. 

"We would assemble at airport at 9 am and show black flags. The PM should go back. He has done injustice to Tamil Nadu," he said.

The DMK, which was the first to announce a black flag protest against the Prime Minister, would assemble near the airport as well. 

For weeks now, Tamil Nadu state has seen protests and bandhs by political parties, pro-Tamil outfits, voluntary organisations and the film fraternity over the delay in setting up the Cauvery Management Board, an independent regulatory body that will implement sharing of the Cauvery waters between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry and Kerala.

On February 16, the Supreme Court had set the decades-long water-sharing dispute to rest, asking the centre to implement a scheme for sharing water within six weeks. As the deadline expired, the centre moved court seeking more time, citing the Karnataka assembly polls on May 12.

Earlier this week, the court asked the centre to inform it by May 3 how it planned to implement the water sharing formula in line with the court's verdict delivered in February.

Source: NDTV News

PM Narendra Modi next only to Nehru, Indira to get black flag welcome in Tamil Nadu

PM Narendra Modi next only to Nehru, Indira to get black flag welcome in Tamil Nadu

By S Kumaresan  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 11th April 2018 05:08 AM  | 

Last Updated: 11th April 2018 06:21 AM  |   A+A A-   | 

CHENNAI: Almost the entire Opposition, is ready to wave black flags to the PM Narendra Modi when he comes to Chennai on Thursday.

This could be the third time the DMK is waving black flags to the country’s top political leader, only after Jawaharlal Nehru - during the anti-Hindi agitations in 1950s - and to Indira Gandhi - soon after the Emergency years.

The DMK had resorted to waving of black flags to top national politicians in those days as a tool to gain the national media’s attention.

The first PM welcomed by DMK’s black flags was Nehru in 1953. It was the Dravidian party’s response to Nehru’s remark that the anti-Hindi agitations were “non-sense” protests.

The DMK was then a young political party and was aggressively carrying out protests against Hindi imposition by the then Congress government.

An executive committee meeting of DMK party on July 13,  1953, resolved that the party would block trains to protest Nehru’s “derogatory” remarks against the anti-Hindi protests and wave black flags to Nehru when he next visits Tamil Nadu.

Many DMK leaders and cadre were arrested and jailed when they blocked trains on July 15, 1953. Former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who blocked a train at Dalmiapuram in Tiruchy district, was among them.

When Nehru visited Tamil Nadu a few months later, there were only very less number of DMK cadre outside the prisons and they managed to wave black flags to Nehru and get arrested.

File Photo ENB

The next was in October 1977 when Indira Gandhi, who had by then lost power after the Emergency years, was visiting Tamil Nadu. DMK wanted to wave black flags to her for the atrocities she allegedly committed during the Emergency years.

Pazha Nedumaran, the then general secretary of the Congress party, remembers vividly how it ended up ugly when a group of DMK cadre surrounded and even managed to assault Indira Gandhi when she was in Madurai.

“Indira Gandhi was to attend the meeting at Race Course grounds. She was moving in an open car, along with a few leaders, including me. She was waving at crowds. A large crowd of DMK cadre, who were holding black flags, razed down a welcome arch. When we reached South Main street, they (DMK men) surrounded and attacked her. Indira Gandhi suffered injuries despite efforts by people like me to protect her,” says Pazha Nedumaran.

Note: Source  Express News Service, Photos ENB

Modi visit to Chennai Black flag get ready