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CHENNAI — With the BJP aiming to make a significant inroad in the country's southern states -- traditionally considered a 'grey patch' for the party -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited Tamil Nadu for the seventh time in the last two months.
PM Modi, who is on a whirlwind campaign trail, on Tuesday held a 2.5 km roadshow here that got a rousing reception with thousands of people lining up on both sides of the road, raising slogans in support of the BJP, and PM Modi, while showering flower petals on his convoy.
PM Modi, during the roadshow, was accompanied by Tamil Nadu unit BJP president and party's Coimbatore candidate, K. Annamalai; party's Chennai South candidate, Tamilisai Soundararajan; Chennai North candidate, R.C. Paul Kanagaraj and Chennai Central nominee, Vinoj P. Selvam.
The roadshow, held in Chennai's Thyagaraya Nagar area, holds significance in the backdrop of the BJP's intensified efforts to register a convincing performance in 39 Lok Sabha seats of Tamil Nadu.
PM Modi's latest programme in Chennai was also held amid the party raising the Katchatheevu Island matter. PM Modi recently criticised the erstwhile Congress regime for "giving away" Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, during the rally, PM Modi was seen holding a cutout of Lotus -- the BJP's election symbol, and waving towards the people as the convoy passed.
People who had gathered looked excited with many of them clicking pictures of PM Modi.
PM Modi will spend the night at Raj Bhavan and on Thursday morning, he will leave for Vellore, Coimbatore and Pollachi.
Meanwhile, K. Subbalakshmi (64), told IANS that she had been waiting to have a glimpse of PM Modi since 3 p.m.
She said that the politics of Tamil Nadu will change and the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will evolve into a strong political party in the state.
She also said there would be surprise election results in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
PM Modi has repeatedly mentioned that Tamil Nadu's development reflects the development of the nation.
It was only last month that while addressing a public gathering in Salem, PM Modi urged the people of the state to ensure a decisive victory for the NDA and emphasised the importance of NDA securing over 400 seats for the development of Tamil Nadu and the nation.
Ensuring that BJP's focus remains intact on South India, PM Modi then interacted with BJP Karyakartas from Tamil Nadu via NaMo App on March 29, underscoring the importance of booth-level efficiency and grassroots engagement in winning elections.
Earlier in January, while announcing development projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crore in Tiruchirappalli, PM Modi had specifically mentioned his government's intense focus on Tamil Nadu, saying that more than 40 Union Ministers from the Central government have toured the state more than 400 times in the past year.
"India will progress with the progress of Tamil Nadu," he stated.