Chennai
oi-Prakash KL
Days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay announced that his government was dropping the proposed Parandur airport project, AIADMK MLA Balakrishnan Reddy on Friday urged the state government to scrap the proposed airport in Hosur, which is about 40 kms from Bengaluru, ut as well.
Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Reddy said that if the government could drop the Parandur airport project citing opposition from farmers and concerns over agricultural land, it should take a similar stand on the proposed Hosur airport.
After Tamil Nadu CM Vijay dropped the Parandur airport project amid farmer protests, AIADMK MLA Balakrishnan Reddy urged scrapping the Hosur airport proposal due to similar agricultural concerns. Minister KA Sengottaiyan’s statement that land acquisition is necessary for projects drew criticism over the government’s inconsistent stance.
He argued that the Hosur project could also affect agriculture and the livelihoods of farmers and should therefore be abandoned.
Responding to the demand, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KA Sengottaiyan said agricultural land would have to be acquired for development projects.
“No matter what the project is, agricultural lands must be acquired. There is no other way,” Sengottaiyan said.
The minister’s response has triggered criticism on social media, with several users questioning the government’s stance on agricultural land acquisition.
பரந்தூர் விவசாயிகளுக்கு ஒரு நியாயம் ? ஓசூர் விவசாயிகளுக்கு ஒரு நியாயமா ?
ஒசூர் அதிமுக எம் எல் ஏ பாலகிருஷ்ணரெட்டி – விவசாயிகளின் எதிர்ப்பால் பரந்தூர் விமான நிலையத்திட்டத்தை கைவிட்டதைப் போல ஒசூரில் விவசாயத்திற்கு பாதிப்பை ஏற்படுத்தும் புதிய விமான நிலையத்திட்டத்தை கைவிட வேண்டும்… pic.twitter.com/hR9WtUygix
— Vignesh Theni (@Vignesh_twitz) August 28, 2026
The criticism comes days after Vijay announced in the Assembly that the Parandur airport project would be dropped, citing its potential impact on agricultural land, the ecosystem and the livelihoods of farmers and residents.
The CM stated that said the government should identify an alternative location where agricultural land and residential areas would be minimally affected.
Vijay also recalled his visit to Eganapuram and other villages on January 20, 2025, where he met residents protesting against the Parandur airport project.
“I stand firmly with the people protesting against the airport to be established in Chennai’s Parandur and 12 surrounding villages,” he said.
Calling farmers the backbone of the country, Vijay said his government would not allow an airport project that would disrupt agricultural land and people’s livelihoods.
One social media user wrote, “Total circus going on. AIADMK MLA now asks Hosur Airport to be dropped like Parandur as it affects farmers & agri land. TN Minister Sengottaiyan says for any project agri land has to be acquired. Just 2 days ago exact opposite was said. Enna dhan nadakudhu….🤧😩”
Another user commented, “Imagine scrapping the Parandur airport citing ‘vivasayam’ after all those annual-day school speeches, and then doing the exact opposite in Hosur. So seriously, why did they scrap Parandur in the first place? The opposition should file a case.”
A third user said, “Then why the hell they want to stop Parandur alone? Whether they got money from any outside powers to stop the growth of TN. Opposition parties and central government should investigate it. From the day he started his party he wanted to stop it.”
Another user wrote, “The moment they said ‘protect farmer’ to reject Parandur airport, that’s where the issue began. If they truly care about protecting farmers then they have to stop literally every development project, which means no airport, no shipyard, no industries and no 1.5 trillion dream.”
