Chennai, Oct 22 (IANS): Expelled AIADMK leader and former chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) on Tuesday urged the Tamil Nadu government to take steps to protect the proposed Hosur International Airport project.
In a statement, Panneerselvam said there were reports that the Karnataka government was proposing the construction of another airport at the neighbouring Somanahalli in Karnataka state.
The former Chief Minister noted that the distance between the proposed Hosur and Somanahalli airports would be only 47 km, whereas there must be a minimum distance of 50 km between the two international airports.
It is important to note that Hosur is within Tamil Nadu, while Somanahalli is geographically located in Karnataka.
In his statement, the Panneerselvam also raised concerns about whether Karnataka’s proposal to construct the Somanahalli airport was intended to diminish the significance of the Hosur project, as the Hosur airport, once commissioned, could undermine the importance of Bengaluru International Airport.
He said that it was the duty of the Tamil Nadu government to safeguard the Hosur airport project.
It may be recalled that on several issues, including the sharing of Cauvery waters, the construction of the Mekedatu dam by Karnataka across the Cauvery River, and various border issues, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have often been at loggerheads, sometimes leading to physical clashes between the people of the two states.
OPS, a powerful leader of the Thevar community, is attempting to realign and regroup all the estranged leaders of the AIADMK back into the party fold.
K. R. Krishnan, a social activist based in Madurai, while speaking to IANS, said, “O. Panneerselvam is from the powerful Thevar community, which can dictate politics in many southern districts of Tamil Nadu. These districts were once strongholds of the AIADMK. However, after OPS was expelled from the AIADMK, the party lost its clout in the region. He is now trying to make a strong comeback into the AIADMK, which is battered and bruised after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.”
He added that OPS is trying to raise issues that are emotionally tied to Tamil society, and this could become a major issue in the coming days.