The anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Struggle Committee convener S.P. Udayakumar has alleged that protesters staging a ‘sathyagraha’ against the upcoming nuclear plant had been let down by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa who, he said, was once with the protesters.
Speaking to reporters before addressing the public here on Tuesday, Dr. Udayakumar recounted that Ms. Jayalalithaa had given a patient hearing when the anti-KKNPP protesters met her with an appeal to scrap the project. At a time when the people believed that a political leader who was really concerned about the Tamils had come to power, she suddenly changed her stance and let the people down on this serious issue.
Door-to-door combing operation
He said he and his associates M. Pushparayan, M.P. Jesuraj and M. Muhilan had decided to surrender to the police after he came to know that law-enforcers, “who had spread a rumour that five police officers had gone missing following yesterday’s operation,” were planning to conduct a door-to-door combing operation at Idinthakarai in search of the ‘missing’ personnel.”
“We will prove our innocence in court”
“Since this search operation in houses is going to be done only with the intention of harassing our people, we have decided to produce ourselves to the police. Though we are being treated like an international terrorist like Osama bin Laden, we will prove our innocence in a court of law. The people will continue their agitation against KKNPP across the country even after we are arrested,” he said.
He claimed that their “non-violent” agitation against the KKNPP had attracted the entire world’s attention.
He termed it a “valiant battle” against the nuclear power programme to save the environment and water from being polluted by radiation.
