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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay committed themselves to healthy Centre-State relations and to working together for Tamil Nadu’s development at an event in Chennai on Sunday, 11 October 2026, The Hindu reported.
Quick Facts
| Venue | Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Madras campus, Chennai |
| Date | Sunday, 11 October 2026 |
| Projects | Chennai Metro Rail Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch and other projects |
| Also present | Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Union Minister of State L. Murugan, Minister N. Anand, IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti |
What the Prime Minister Said
Modi said that while governments change, his commitment to Tamil Nadu has stayed the same. Recalling his work with earlier Tamil Nadu chief ministers, from Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa to M.K. Stalin, he said: “Today, with that same commitment, we are taking this journey of Tamil Nadu’s development forward together with Chief Minister Joseph Vijay.”
He called urban development a major priority and said merely widening roads is not enough: “In modern cities, we need holistic infrastructure.” He also visited the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Research Centre at IIT Madras and offered prayers at the Jalakandeswarar Temple near the campus entrance.
What the Chief Minister Said
Vijay said Tamil Nadu has long contributed to India’s progress and that “strong States make a strong India”. He assured the Prime Minister that his government believes that when the Union and the State work together, people benefit.
The Hindu’s report of Vijay’s speech listed these requests:
- Sanction the inter-State Metro Rail link between Hosur in Tamil Nadu and Bommasandra in Karnataka
- Reconsider the Metro Rail proposals for Coimbatore and Madurai
- Approve Phase III of Chennai Metro, about 65 km, covering the airport to Kilambakkam, Poonamallee to Sunguvarchatram and Koyambedu to Pattabiram
- Sanction high-speed rail corridors from Chennai to Kanniyakumari and Chennai to Coimbatore, after thanking the Centre for announcing two high-speed corridors linking Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai in Union Budget 2026
- Prioritise widening of the Chengalpattu-Tiruchi section of NH32, the Tiruchi-Panjapur-Jeeyapuram-Karur section of NH81, and an elevated corridor from Madhavaram to Sholavaram on NH87
Vijay said Tamil Nadu aims to become a $1.5 trillion economy by 2036 and that development should “reach every district”, not only Chennai.
A Detail From the Airport
The Hindu reported that Modi noticed an image of Vijay woven into Minister N. Anand’s shirt at the airport and pointed it out to the Chief Minister, who smiled and nodded.
Featured image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro Phase II, 11 October 2026. Photo by the Prime Minister’s Office, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.