<span style="color: #222222;">Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has thanked the Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for his assurance that Chennai will be considered for getting declared as the embarkation point for Haj pilgrimage from next year. In a tweet on Thursday, Mr. Stalin requested him to make sure that Chennai will be designated as the embarkation point for Haj in future under any circumstances.<br />''<br />''Chennai has for long been the embarkation point, benefiting the pilgrims from as far as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, parts of Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, besides Tamil Nadu. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chennai has been removed from the list due to the restrictions, forcing the pilgrims to take a circuitous route. The Chief Minister insisted on restoring the status of Chennai Airport as the Haj embarkation point through an official letter to the Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and in Parliament, the state MPs raised the demand.</span><br />