2 TN Ministers back AIADMK local unit's demand seeking 2nd capital designation for Madurai

On August 16, AIADMK's Madurai West district unit passed a resolution demanding Madurai to be designated as the second capital of Tamil Nadu. The proposal was backed by state Revenue Minister and AIADMK Madurai West chief RB Udhaya Kumar and his Cabinet colleague Sellur K Raju. Appealing to TN CM Edapaddi Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam in this regard, Kumar cited Andhra Pradesh's three-capital law and the fact that Gujarat has government offices in two cities- Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.

According to him, declaring Madurai as the second capital shall not only ensure the growth of all southern districts but also provide opportunities for economic growth, industrial development, and employment. In the AIADMK resolution, facilities such as the Madras High Court, international airport, and the upcoming AIIMS Hospital were highlighted as reasons to male  Madurai the second capital. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Raju claimed that this was also the wish of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran. To buttress his point, the Minister recalled that the World Tamil Conference was held in Madurai. He added that former CM Jayalalithaa also made her political decisions in this city. 

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AIADMK Madurai West chief RB Udhaya Kumar remarked, “We have requested the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to make Madurai the second capital of the state. This will provide opportunities for economic growth, industrial development, employment growth. If Madurai is declared as the second capital, the southern districts will grow."

“It was MGR’s wish to make Madurai the second capital. It was for this reason that the World Tamil Conference was held here. Jayalalithaa often made her politics related decisions in Madurai," TN Minister Sellur K Raju opined. 

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An earlier proposal for new capital

Incidentally, this is not the first occasion on which AIADMK has made a demand to declare another city as the capital of the state. In 1981, MGR supported the shifting of capital to Trichy citing drought and lack of water resources in Chennai. But, this proposal found firm opposition in DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, who alleged that MGR was using this as a diversionary tactic.

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