New Delhi/Chennai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and discussed several issues concerning the state, including the Mekedatu dam project, arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka, and the controversy surrounding the Tamil Thai Vazhthu invocation song.

The meeting marked Vijay’s first official visit to the national capital after taking office following his party TVK’s victory in the April Assembly elections.

Vijay also met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and submitted a memorandum seeking priority funding for infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu, including ports, railway works, national highways and industrial corridors.

One of the key issues raised by the chief minister was the ongoing controversy over the sequence of the Tamil Thai Vazhthu during official government functions. The debate emerged after the invocation song was played after Vande Mataram and the National Anthem during the swearing-in ceremony of the new government and subsequent cabinet expansion events.

In a letter to the prime minister, Vijay stated that Tamil Nadu has always respected the National Anthem and National Song while also maintaining a long-standing tradition of rendering Tamil Thai Vazhthu at the beginning of official functions.

He said the current practice followed at Lok Bhavan, where the state invocation song is played after the National Anthem, had triggered widespread concern in Tamil Nadu as it deviated from established convention.

Describing Tamil Thai Vazhthu as an important symbol of Tamil linguistic and cultural identity, Vijay urged the Centre to issue a clarification to the Ministry of Home Affairs order issued earlier this year so that state invocation songs could continue to be sung at the commencement of government programmes.

The chief minister also strongly opposed Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project across the Cauvery river. According to a Tamil Nadu government release, Vijay conveyed that the move violated the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and the Supreme Court verdict on the issue.

He requested Prime Minister Modi to direct the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission not to permit the project without the consent of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, which are riparian states linked to the Cauvery basin.

The Mekedatu project has remained a contentious issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with the latter expressing concerns over its possible impact on water availability for farmers.

Vijay also sought the Centre’s intervention to secure the release of Tamil Nadu fishermen currently lodged in Sri Lankan prisons and the return of their seized boats. He highlighted that 12 incidents of arrests had taken place this year and that 58 fishermen remain in custody while 266 boats are being held by Sri Lankan authorities.

During the discussions, the chief minister further requested the Centre to establish the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) in Tamil Nadu. He noted that discussions had already been held with the Defence Research and Development Organisation regarding setting up the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft design and development centre and CABS in the state.

In his separate meeting with Sitharaman, Vijay pressed for greater central support for major transport and development projects. He requested financial assistance for metro rail expansion in cities such as Coimbatore, Madurai and Erode, describing them as key economic and industrial centres of Tamil Nadu.

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He also urged the Centre to establish more Institutes of National Importance in the state to strengthen higher education and research infrastructure.