The controversy surrounding the Chennai-Salem Expressway project has taken a new turn, with the Road Transport & Highways Ministry stating that the Tamil Nadu government did not object to the project, in response to a question posed by Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss.
DMK Then and Now!!
In a reply to the question, whether TN Govt objected to the Chennai-Salem Expressway. Highway Ministry has replied, “TN Govt didn’t objected the project”.
DMK orchestrated the Drama over the Highway and spreaded the rumor when it was Opposition party. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/FjtwpMGF7o
— Soma Sundaram 🇮🇳 (@isomasundaram72) March 15, 2023
This is in stark contrast to the DMK’s vehement opposition to the project when it was in the opposition. The party had orchestrated a protest drama and spread baseless rumours about the project, which had caused a stir in the media. However, after assuming power, the DMK government has taken a completely different stance on the matter.
In September 2022, the DMK government reversed its position on the project, stating that it was not opposed to the project itself, but rather to how it was being implemented. The party’s Minister for Public Works, Highways, and Minor Ports, EV Velu, stated that the DMK was well aware of the need for the project and had urged the previous government to settle the issues of farmers before proceeding with the project.
Present CM didn’t opposed Chennai – Salem expressway, when he was LoP. Instead he urged then govt in LA, to settle the issue by paying money to the landowners at market value.
We are not against the project.
Roads need to be widened due to increasing no. of vehicles – Min EV Velu pic.twitter.com/WVT79oybxn— Soma Sundaram 🇮🇳 (@isomasundaram72) August 31, 2022
The DMK’s flip-flop or rather “U-turn” on the project has been the subject of much debate, with critics accusing the party of playing politics and causing delays in developmental projects for political gain. The party had made the project into an election issue during the 2019 and 2021 elections, portraying itself as the party for the Tamil people.
Despite the controversy, the AIADMK government had gone ahead and inaugurated the Chennai-Salem Greenfield 8-lane corridor in 2021. The DMK’s opposition to the project had caused a lot of unrest, with people with anti-national interests mobilising large numbers of people to protest against it by spreading baseless rumours.
With the DMK now moving closer to implementing the Chennai-Salem 8 Lane Highway, many are left wondering about the party’s true intentions and whether its opposition to the project was merely a political ploy.
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