Chennai, Apr 12 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who faced a string of protests in Tamil Nadu on the Centre's failure to constitute a Cauvery Management Board (CMB) on Thursday, avoided any reference to the hot button issue in his public speeches.

Modi, who inaugurated the 10th DefExpo organised by the Defence Ministry and later spoke at the Adyar Cancer Insitute in Chennai, did not refer to the demand for setting up of the CMB, which has been directed by the Supreme Court in its Febraruy 16 judgement.

The issue erupted into a major row with political parties and fringe organisations stepping up their protest demanding immediate setting up of the CMB by holding protests in the city and various parts of Tamil Nadu.

However, in his speech at the defence trade fair, he sought to woo Tamils by wishing them a happy new year on Saturday. He also referred to a couplet of Tamil savant Thiruvalluvar in which he had said that knowledge grows with reading just like water springs forth as sandy fount is dug deeper.