PM Modi inaugurates Pamban bridge in TN, CM Stalin skips event

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Pamban bridge, India’s first vertical lift sea bridge and flagged off train service linking Rameswaram island to the rest of the country. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin skipped the event.
Modi flagged off a Coast Guard ship that sailed under the bridge and also laid foundation stone for and dedicated to the nation various rail and road projects totally worth over Rs 8,300 crore.
In his address, Modi said the day marked the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami and that Lord Ram’s good governance is the foundation for nation building.
He also outlined the connect Tamil Nadu had to Lord Ram by quoting Sangam era literature. On the fishermen issue vis-a-vis Sri Lanka, he said over the past decade, more than 3,700 fishermen have been brought back from Sri Lanka, including over 600 in the past year alone.
While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin skipped the event and upped the ante on the delimitation issue saying Modi should allay the fears of the people on the proposed exercise, the PMr, without naming anyone, hit back by picking the Tamil pitch. He batted for imparting medical education in Tamil medium to help the poor and said the state got 11 new medical colleges in recent years.
Modi said efforts were on to take Tamil language, heritage to all corners of the world.
He noted that this increased funding has greatly contributed to Tamil Nadu’s economic and industrial growth. The PM, referring to beneficiaries from the state in respect of several initiatives, said that despite the increased allocation to Tamil Nadu, some “cry” over funds.