Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nainar Nagendran on 9 July accused the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, of deliberately stalling the proposed Parandur Greenfield Airport project, warning that the delay was putting the state's economic growth and employment prospects at risk.

What Nagendran Alleged

In a post on X, Nagendran trained his fire on Industries Minister Nirmal Kumar, alleging the minister had made 'false claims' about the project's feasibility and was misleading the public. He contended that the Union Civil Aviation Ministry had granted in-principle approval for the Parandur airport only after conducting extensive technical and environmental studies — making the minister's assertion that a runway could not be built at the site directly contradictory to those findings.

Nagendran stated that the Airports Authority of India (AAI), working in coordination with the Ministry of Defence, had carried out detailed assessments before the project received clearance. Crucially, he said those studies had already accounted for the presence of water bodies in the proposed airport zone and had concluded the project was technically feasible.

Engineering Solutions Already on the Table

The BJP leader further claimed that expert engineering teams had already identified and recommended solutions that would allow water bodies in the area to be protected while simultaneously enabling construction of airport infrastructure, including the runway. He questioned why a 'new technical obstacle' was being raised after the project had already cleared technical scrutiny from the Centre.

'Is this really a technical issue, or is the government sacrificing Tamil Nadu's development for cheap vote-bank politics?' Nagendran wrote in his social media post.

The Case for a Second Airport

Chennai International Airport, Nagendran argued, has very limited scope for further expansion due to space constraints. This, he said, makes the development of a second international airport not a luxury but an economic necessity for Tamil Nadu's long-term growth. He warned that continued delay in the Parandur project could cost the state valuable international trade and investment opportunities, with direct consequences for youth employment.

BJP's Call to Action

Urging the TVK government to reconsider its position, Nagendran said the Centre was prepared to extend full cooperation for the timely execution of the Parandur Greenfield Airport project. He called on the state government to move forward without further delay, framing the issue as one of development versus political obstruction.

The controversy marks a fresh flashpoint between the BJP-led Centre and the TVK state government, with the airport project now emerging as a key battleground in Tamil Nadu's infrastructure and political landscape.