BottomLine
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai. They inaugurated a stretch of Chennai Metro Phase II together, rode the train, and later addressed the same public gathering.
Smiles on stage, demands on the table. How long will this cordiality last?
In this episode of Bottomline, Prabhu Chawla dissects Vijay's Chennai play: inauguration of a Chennai Metro Phase II stretch, demand for early approval of the 65-kilometre Chennai Metro Phase III network, reconsideration of Coimbatore and Madurai metros, clearance for the Hosur–Bommasandra link, Chennai–Kanyakumari and Chennai–Coimbatore high-speed rail corridors, six-laning of key highways, the Madavaram–Sholavaram elevated corridor, the Godavari–Cauvery link as a national project, Tamil as the principal language in Madras High Court proceedings, and release of pending ₹5,110 crore Samagra Shiksha funds without conditions.
Modi played the continuity card. Vijay played the federalism card while balancing his Congress partner. Who blinks first when language, funds and clearances hit the table?
Bottomline verdict: A shared stage in Chennai is easy. Sustaining cooperative federalism is the real test.
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