The Central Government’s rejection of the Metro Rail proposals for Madurai and Coimbatore has triggered political outrage in Tamil Nadu.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in his post on the social media platform X, strongly condemned the decision, calling it an act of political vendetta.
He stated:
“The BJP-led Central Government has denied Metro Rail for Madurai (Temple City) and Coimbatore (Manchester of South India). A government must act fairly and equally for all states.
Denying development projects because people rejected the BJP in Tamil Nadu is a sign of cheap politics.
Even smaller cities in BJP-ruled states have been granted metro projects, while opposition-ruled states are being sidelined.
Tamil Nadu will never accept this violation of federal principles.
Just like we overcame hurdles in Chennai Metro, we will bring Metro Rail to Madurai and Coimbatore too.”
Earlier, the Metro Rail Corporation had submitted Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for Madurai and Coimbatore, and the Tamil Nadu government had already given its approval. However, the Centre returned the files, reportedly citing insufficient population criteria (below the 2 million threshold).
Officials say the Centre has asked for additional documents regarding population and feasibility parameters.
