PM in 2029': Posters Flare at PM Modi's Mega Chennai Event With CM Vijay
High-voltage political optics unfolded at the Madras campus in Chennai on Sunday when enthusiastic supporters of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay displayed handwritten posters projecting the actor-turned-politician as the country's next Prime Minister for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The unexpected political display took place during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official address following the inauguration and foundation laying of key infrastructure projects valued at roughly ₹13,000 crore, with Chief Minister Vijay sharing the dais. As Prime Minister Modi mentioned the Chief Minister's name during his keynote speech, sections of the gathered crowd erupted into cheers and brandished placards featuring Vijay’s photograph alongside the bold slogan "Next PM Vijay 2029." Although on-duty police personnel and security teams swiftly intervened to quiet the demonstration and seat the crowd, enthusiastic cadres resumed waving the placards directly toward broadcast cameras as soon as security cordons stepped aside, marking a fiery political spectacle during PM Modi’s maiden official tour to the southern state since Vijay's party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), assumed power following the April assembly elections.
Infrastructure Blitz: ₹4,900 Crore Metro Stretch and Industrial Launches
Beyond the political buzz, the joint event served as a major display of cooperative federalism, with Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Vijay jointly flagging off commercial operations on the newly constructed Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch under Phase 2 of the Chennai Metro Rail Project. Built at an estimated expenditure of ₹4,900 crore, the newly commissioned 15-kilometer rapid transit corridor encompasses 11 elevated stations designed to de-congest key urban arteries across the state capital, with both leaders taking a ceremonial inaugural ride inside the metro coaches to inspect passenger facilities. The high-profile infrastructure package also featured the foundation laying and dedicated commissioning of modern refining units at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited's (CPCL) Manali facility, strategic highway stretches, redeveloped AMRUT railway stations, and modernized maritime logistics projects at regional ports. In his address, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that while political dispensations and governments may change through democratic mandates, the Union government's resolve to accelerate Tamil Nadu's industrial prosperity and serve its citizenry remains permanent, noting that the country's collective progress relies on the sustained development of individual states.
CM Vijay’s Direct Demands to Centre and PM Modi’s Tribute to Tamil Heritage
Taking the podium, Chief Minister Vijay highlighted that close institutional coordination and active Centre-State alignment are vital to ensuring public welfare benefits reach the most vulnerable citizens, using the joint platform to place five major state demands before the Prime Minister. Chief Minister Vijay pressed the Union government for the immediate, unconditional release of ₹5,110 crore in pending central education funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, formal administrative clearance for Phase 3 of the Chennai Metro, expedited reconsiderations for proposed metro rail networks in Coimbatore and Madurai, and a decisive green light for the inter-state metro corridor connecting Hosur to Bengaluru. He further urged the Centre to officially declare Tamil as the primary judicial language of the Madras High Court. Responding with cultural reverence, Prime Minister Modi lauded the timeless legacy of ancient Tamil literature, hailing Saint Thiruvalluvar’s sacred text Thirukkural as an eternal moral compass for humanity while recalling how he gifted its Russian translation to President Vladimir Putin, concluding his address by invoking nationalist poet Mahakavi Subramania Bharati’s rousing anthem Achamillai to reflect the indomitable spirit of Tamil culture.
