Udhayanidhi calls on Modi, seeks chance to host Khelo India in state
Tamil Nadu sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi with a list of demands including an opportunity for the state to host the next Khelo India Games, establishment of a Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex, and exemption from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
This is the first such meeting between the PM and Udhayanidhi, who is a first-time MLA sworn into his father and chief minister MK Stalin’s cabinet in December 2022.
Udhayanidhi, who consistently criticises the BJP-led Union government for not starting the construction of AIIMS Madurai, said he did not take up the matter with PM Modi. “I spoke on the issue of NEET,” Udhayanidhi told reporters in Delhi.
“We didn’t talk about any alliance. The PM gave an explanation regarding NEET but I conveyed the mindset of the people of Tamil Nadu and informed him that we will continue the legal battle to abolish it,” he said.
He told Modi that they plan to construct a mini-stadium in each of Tamil Nadu’s 234 assembly constituencies. “He talked about his experiences and the challenges he had faced as the chief minister of Gujarat,” Udhayanidhi said.
“I said Tamil Nadu should be given an opportunity to host the next Khelo India Games,” he said, adding that he is content with the meeting.
Later, he shared photos of the meeting and tweeted: “Shared my deepest sympathies with Modi for his mother’s passing away. He conveyed his regards to CM @mkstalin. He enquired about the initiatives being taken in TN sports.”
