The proposed construction of metro rail networks in Coimbatore and Madurai has become the latest flashpoint between the DMK dispensation in Tamil Nadu and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union Government.
After Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members took to the streets in Coimbatore and Madurai to protest the Centre returning the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the projects, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday dispatched a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reconsider the decision and allow the two cities to experience the modern transport system. Madurai is a revered temple town attracting millions of tourists annually, and Coimbatore is a critical engine that fuels Tamil Nadu’s growth.
The row began earlier this week after the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) "returned" the DPRs for the Madurai and Coimbatore metro projects. The Ministry cited the National Metro Rail Policy, 2017, which states that cities must meet a 20 lakh (2 million) population criterion. The communication sent to the state government on November 14 noted that, as per the 2011 Census, Madurai's population was 15 lakh and Coimbatore’s was 15.84 lakh. Although the population in both cities is estimated to be above 20 lakh in 2025, the Centre is currently using the 2011 Census figure since the decadal census has not been conducted since 2020. The Ministry subsequently asked the state administration to explore suitable alternative modes of transport.
The DMK was quick to term the Centre’s action as a "disgraceful approach" and a "distortion of federal principles," with Stalin even suggesting that Tamil Nadu was being denied metro networks because the state overwhelmingly rejected the BJP and AIADMK in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, having voted for the DMK in 2021.
Following Union Minister Manohar Lal’s statement that the DPRs contained many discrepancies, Stalin has asked the Department of Special Initiatives to submit detailed justifications on the issues raised by MoHUA.
In his letter, Stalin stated that Tamil Nadu, being the most urbanised State in the country with a high per-capita private vehicle ownership, needs high-capacity public transport alternatives in all its large growth engine cities.
He challenged the population criteria, saying that the population of the Coimbatore Local Planning Area (LPA) had exceeded 2 million way back in 2011 itself. He also argued that if the 2 million criterion had been applied uniformly, many metros in Tier-II cities like Agra, Indore, and Patna may not have materialised.
"The selective application of this criterion to our proposal has created an impression of discrimination against our cities and the Union Government needs to dispel it by treating our cities on par with the cities mentioned above," Stalin said.
He added that the DPR studies had made subsequent independent assessments of traffic projections which justified the need for Metro Rail corridors, complaining that these factors have not been adequately taken into consideration.
Stalin concluded with a personal plea: "I urge you to instruct MoHUA to review the decision. If necessary, I am ready to meet you at New Delhi with my team to explain the issues in detail. Since these two projects involve the aspirations of the industrial and cultural hubs of Tamil Nadu, I look forward to your personal intervention in this issue."
The DMK views the Centre’s move as an opportunity to politically target the BJP and brand the saffron party as "anti-Tamil Nadu" to further fuel its "Tamil Nadu versus Delhi (Centre/BJP)" narrative ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. The DMK had previously made the Centre’s delay in sanctioning Phase-II of the Chennai Metro an election issue in the 2024 polls.
The two governments are already at loggerheads over the implementation of the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and several other issues.
Metro networks have been a political issue in the state before. While the AIADMK under J Jayalalithaa proposed a monorail for Chennai despite opposition from experts, the DMK secured approval for the Metro project under the UPA-I and launched work in 2009. Jayalalithaa had publicly stated she had no choice but to implement the project despite her unwillingness since viaducts had already been constructed.
The state government had prepared DPRs that proposed two corridors for Coimbatore and one for Madurai and sent them to the Union Government for approval, as metro projects require funding and implementation from both governments.
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