Taking on MDMK general secretary Vaiko, BJP’s Tamil Nadu Unit president Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan has asked the former not to talk about being courageous as he was the one who undertook a ‘clandestine’ trip to Sri Lanka via a small boat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Chennai today to inaugurate the defence expo at Tiruvidandhai off Chennai near Mahabalipuram.  As already reported, protests by political parties and other organizations have erupted in various places across the State over the Centre’s reluctance in setting up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB).  DMK has said it would hold black flag demonstration against Modi’s visit.

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s itinerary, Vaiko ridiculed Modi by stating that he wasn’t courageous enough to travel by road and hence has taken to travelling via helicopter from Chennai Airport to Tiruvidandhai so as to avoid protesters as he felt scared about them. “Why should he go to IIT, Chennai by a chopper? This explains his mind-set and a not-so-courageous attitude,” he had said.

Responding to Vaiko, Tamililsai tweeted on her Twitter account saying “Prime Minister’s chopper journey isn’t an unusual one; we strongly condemn Vaiko for branding it as a cowardly act. Vaiko has no locus standi to talk about it as it was he who had once travelled illegally and by a small boat to Sri Lanka in the eighties without anybody’s knowledge!”

“The Prime Minister was courageous enough to make an unscheduled in terrorist-infested Pakistan some time back; Vaiko would do well to remember this,” she said.