Vijay’s ‘secret’ letter to Modi on Chennai airport raises political hackles in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s “secret” letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the future of Chennai airport has sparked a political storm in the state.

The letter, purportedly written on August 5, was neither tabled in the Assembly nor briefed to the Press. Its copy surfaced publicly only in the third week of September, apparently leaked by either somebody in Delhi or Chennai.

The ‘secret’ letter

The letter (no. 64/CMO/2026), dated August 5, was written by CM Vijay to PM Modi and followed up with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry on August 14. In it, Vijay listed falling rankings, thin passenger growth, weak cargo numbers, unused airside capacity, delayed Phase-II works, and everyday failures of hygiene, taxis, parking and baggage at the Chennai International Airport. He urged that its operation, management and development be given “at the earliest” to a competent operator other than the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Also read: Breakfast battle: Vijay vs Stalin war of words over free school meal scheme expansion

A Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) communication dated August 14 shows that in response to the letter, it formally sought the Civil Aviation Ministry’s views on the request. PMO Director Chandra Mohan Thakur forwarded the “self-explanatory” letter to the Secretary, Civil Aviation, and directed the ministry to send its comments back to the PMO. The Civil Aviation Secretary’s office received the file marked “very important” on August 20, with a handwritten instruction that a draft reply be prepared after reviewing the matter.

The question is, why did the TVK government keep the letter a secret? While letters condemning Sri Lankan Navy arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen, seeking funds, or pressing for due honour to the Tamil Thai Vazhthu are routinely pushed to journalists the same day through the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, this one went totally missing from all established channels of public communication.

BJP joins Left in seeking answers

The secrecy has produced an unusual chorus, with the right-wing BJP joining TVK’s Leftist allies in seeking an explanation. CPI leader M Veerapandian said defects at the airport should be repaired, but privatisation is not the cure and there is no case for handing a profit-making public asset to private hands.

CPM’s P Shanmugam asked why the letter was “hidden” from everyone and whether the chief minister was paving the way for an Adani takeover, and demanded its withdrawal. He added that state governments have not, as a rule, asked Delhi to hand over airports to private operators, noting that TVK is in office with Left support, and called the party’s approach “not satisfactory”, a veiled warning that the support could be reviewed.

Also read: Gem Veeramani POCSO case explodes into TVK-DMK bypoll battle

Interestingly, BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan, speaking in a language closer to the Left than to her own party’s national line on airport PPP, also demanded an explanation and withdrawal of the letter, asking whether public-sector assets were being prepared for private transfer after the government had already cancelled the Parandur greenfield project.

The primary Opposition, DMK, which has long opposed privatisation of the state’s airports, has, of course, taken pot shots at the government, with multiple leaders attacking the TVK government for the letter as well as the secrecy.

TVK’s multiple voices

To control the damage, TVK minister Nirmal Kumar has publicly opposed full privatisation, telling reporters that electricity, bus stands, railway stations and airports must stay under state control because private operators price ordinary users out. Maintenance contracts may be opened, he said; ownership and control should not.

Political observer Dayalan Shanmugam remarked that hiding the letter was like a cat shutting its eyes and imagining the world had gone dark—a chief minister who writes directly to the prime minister on a matter that touches daily public use cannot later wash his hands of it.

Also read: Vijay's London trip triggers political storm: ₹15,300 crore or just optics?

The more interesting speculation he offered was tactical: The letter may have been kept from Left allies on purpose. The conventional method, he said, would have been to let the chief secretary or a minister write it, and let the CMO answer the fallout. Instead, the chief minister signed it himself, and the government then tried to bury it.

Eyes on Centre’s reply

Two explanations now compete for how the letter was leaked: One, that it was leaked from Delhi after it reached the PMO; the other, that officials in Chennai who do not want the airport privatised ensured it would not stay secret.

A recent embarrassment at the Chennai airport, when the CM’s friend and government adviser Vishnu Reddy was denied the VIP channel on a London departure, has been blamed on the CM putting the AAI in the dock. To save face, Vijay walked with him through the public gate. The incident raised eyebrows because on previous occasions, when Vijay travelled on special flights, his companions were allowed through.

If Delhi stalls, the government seems to have a plan B. TIDCO officials say several sites, from Sholinganallur to Gummidipoondi, are being studied for a new airport. The Centre’s reply will decide the TVK government’s next step.