Didn't ask Centre to drop railway line project, says TN govt

'No response from railway for funds for Madurai-Thoothukudi project'

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

The Tamil Nadu government, in a statement, has clarified that it never indicated in any form that it did not want the Madurai-Thoothukudi (via Aruppukottai) railway line project. This comes a day after Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in Chennai that the project has been shelved as the state government did not want it.

"The Tamil Nadu Government had neither in writing nor verbally, sought for the project to be withdrawn. On the contrary, it has been consistently urging the implementation of the project," the statement by Transport Minister S S Sivasankar, said.

Questioning why the union railway minister would make statements contradictory to the state's stand, it stated that this shows the discriminatory nature of the BJP-led centre towards Tamil Nadu.