O Paneerselvam to meet PM Modi on Monday, recommend Bharat Ratna for Jayalalithaa

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Paneerselvam is all set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national capital on Monday and relay the details of the damages caused by cyclone Vardah in the state. 

Paneerselvam will also handover a letter urging the central government to bestow late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with the Bharat Ratna and to unveil a bronze statue in Parliament campus, an official statement said.

Four days after Jayalalithaa's death, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet on December 10 decided to recommend the late AIADMK chief for India's highest civilian honour, the 'Bharat Ratna'.

In its first meeting chaired by Chief Minister Panneerselvam after Jayalalithaa's demise, the Cabinet also decided to recommend to the Centre on installation of her life-size bronze statue in Parliament complex.

On 13 December, a day after the cyclone wrecked havoc in the state, Panneerselvam had urged Modi in a letter to sanction Rs 1,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund to the state for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

During the meeting with PM Modi, Paneerselvam is likely to press the demand of granting Rs 1,000 crore to Tamil Nadu in the wake of damage caused by the cyclone.