Narendra Modi at DefExpo 2018 LIVE Updates: Tamil Nadu deputy CM O Panneerselvam welcomes PM Narendra Modi at the Chennai airport on Thursday. (Source: BJP/Twitter) Narendra Modi at DefExpo 2018 LIVE Updates: Tamil Nadu deputy CM O Panneerselvam welcomes PM Narendra Modi at the Chennai airport on Thursday. (Source: BJP/Twitter)

In a veiled dig at the previous UPA regime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said defence preparedness was hampered due to policy paralysis earlier but his government had changed that by revising the procurement procedure with provisions for stimulating growth of the domestic defence industry. Inaugurating the Defence Expo in Thiruvidanthai in Tamil Nadu, Modi, who is observing a day-long fast in protest against washout of Parliament proceedings, also said the government’s commitment to peace is just as strong as its commitment to protecting its people and territory.

Modi, however, who reached Chennai airport around 9.30 am, took a chopper to the expo venue and avoided travelling by road, throwing a spanner in the opposition’s plans to show black flags to the PM. Later in the afternoon, Modi also inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee Building of Cancer Institute in Chennai.