PM to visit TN, Puducherry on March 1; offer prayers at Tirupparankundram Sri Subramanyaswamy temple

Chennai, Feb 28 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Chennai on Saturday night ahead of his one-day, hectic visit to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on March 1 to inaugurate a slew of initiatives.

While in Madurai, he will visit the Arulmigu Subramanyaswamy temple in Tirupparankundram and offer worship.

It may be recalled that a controversy erupted last year during the Karthigai Deepam festival over devotees lighting a lamp atop a deepathoon (stone pillar), after local authorities resisted the move.

The Madras High Court Madurai Bench allowed Hindus to light the lamp atop the deepathoon located on the Tirupparankundram hill, near a dargah, and faulted local officials for their perceived apprehension of a conflict between two communities.

Nainar Nagendran, BJP state chief, has appealed to devotees to circumambulate (undertake a Girivalam) around the Tirupparankundram hill on March 2 to highlight the demand for lighting the lamp atop the stone pillar.

Kadeshwara Subramaniam, state president of Hindu Munnani, has also appealed to devotees to undertake the Girivalam on March 2, coinciding with the auspicious Magha star in the Tamil month of Maasi.

“The Magha nakshatra, which falls on a full moon day, is auspicious for Lord Murugan. So, we urge devotees to visit Tirupparankundram hill, where the Kashi Vishwanathar temple and Subrahmanya Swamy temple are situated, and seek divine blessings,” Subramaniam said in a statement.

He added that the Girivalam is being organised by Muruga devotees for universal well-being.

Nagendran said the Prime Minister would address a rally of the NDA in Madurai on Sunday. “Accompanied by Union Minister of State L Murugan, I visited the Meenakshi Sundareshwar temple and prayed for the success of the NDA rally,” he said in a post on the social media platform 'X' earlier in the day.

Ahead of Modi’s visit, BJP members undertook a hashtag campaign, “#ModiComesNDAWins.” During his visit to the union territory, the PM will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation, and lay the foundation stone for various development projects worth over Rs 2,700 crore, aimed at strengthening infrastructure, urban services, industrial development, education, healthcare, and sustainable growth in Puducherry.

He will also inaugurate infrastructure projects worth over Rs 4,400 crore in Madurai and lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the Marakkanam–Puducherry section of NH-332A and the Paramakudi–Ramanathapuram section of NH-87 at around 3 pm.

He will inaugurate eight redeveloped railway stations in Tamil Nadu, dedicate the Chennai Beach–Chennai Egmore fourth line to the nation, and address the gathering on the occasion.

At around 4 pm, Modi will visit the Arulmigu Subramanyaswamy temple in Tirupparankundram and offer worship.

As per his schedule, the PM will inaugurate projects in Puducherry at around 11.45 am. Thereafter, he will travel to Madurai for the official event, which will commence at around 3 pm.

Modi will inaugurate several key initiatives, including the launch of e-buses under the PM e-Bus Seva Initiative, the Integrated Command and Control Centre under the Smart City Mission, tenements for Economically Weaker Sections under the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) initiative, and important sewerage and water supply projects of the Puducherry government.

The PM will dedicate to the nation the 750-acre Karasur–Sedarapet Industrial Estate, which will house a Pharma Park, Textile Park, IT Park, a state-of-the-art research and development centre of IIT Madras, and advanced healthcare facilities of JIPMER, thereby providing a major boost to industrial growth and employment generation in the region.

In Madurai, he will inaugurate three new Akashvani FM relay transmitters at Kumbakonam, Yercaud, and Vellore to further strengthen broadcasting services in Tamil Nadu.

These transmitters will expand regional coverage, ensure uninterrupted FM broadcasting, and enhance access to public broadcasting services across multiple districts of the state. PTI JSP SSK