Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Panneerselvam met PM Modi

Panneerselvam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday and put forward various demands concerning the state, including continuous supply of coal to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation.

The meeting comes at a time when the ruling party of Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, stands divided and its symbol dispute is pending with the Election Commission.

Panneerselvam, who recently joined hands with the faction led by Chief Minister E K Palaniswami, denied having any discussion on the political development in the state with the prime minister.

In August, after maintaining silence about his meetings with the prime minister for a long time, he had admitted that he had discussed internal issues of the party with Modi.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Panneerselvam said, "One of important demands were allocation of coal for TANGEDCO for the entire year as the company was facing shortage. I have also submitted a memorandum with various other demands."

He also said the prime minister gave a patient hearing on the steps taken by the state government to check spread of dengue.

"PM has been apprised about the steps taken by the government and he has ordered a central government's medical team to visit the state to assess the situation," he said.

Asked if they would consider a reconciliation with rival faction leader TTV Dhinakaran, Panneerselvam said a party worker had to earn the top positions in the party by working hard.