“The leader of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, a constituent of the ruling DMK-led DPA regime, had issued a statement that Modi could not return alive if he visited the state,” BJP state president L Ganesan said in Chennai.

Some parties had also formed a committee to oppose his visit, he added.

Modi is scheduled to take part in the annual function of a Tamil magazine - ‘Tughlaq’ in Chennai on January 14.

AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa will also host a lunch for him at her Poes Garden residence the same day.

Praising Modi as a “symbol of nationalism and anti-terrorism,” Ganesan said those who opposed his visit were anti-national.

He expressed hope that the state government would provide security to Modi as per protocol as he was the elected head of a state.

“If necessary, the government should resort to preventive arrests to ensure that Modi’s visit passed off smoothly,” he said.