Amid noisy protests wherein protesters queued up along his route by wearing black shirts or holding black flags and placards saying ‘Modi Go Back’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated yesterday (Thursday) the 3-day long Defence Expo at Tiruvidandhai off Chennai.

Organized by the Union Defence Ministry and supervised by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the inauguration of the expo was one of the reasons for the Prime Minister’s visit to Chennai amid black flag protests against him for not setting up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) as per the Supreme Court’s directions.  Modi also took part in the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Adyar Cancer Institute.

Prime Minister was received at the Airport by Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, chief-minister Edapadi K. Palaniswami, deputy chief-minister O. Panneerselvam, chief-secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and other senior civil and police officials.  He took a chopper from the Airport to reach Mamallapuram from where he travelled by car to reach Tiruvidandhai where the Expo is being organized.

The expo is meant to send a signal to the rest of the world about India’s capability to manufacture arms and ammunition and other accessories.  The Expo, which is the 10th of its kind, has on display products from 47 countries.  Seminars/conferences are also being organized as part of the Expo to give impetus to industrial production.