A day after a delegation of its MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to oppose the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Park (JNPP), the Shiv Sena has said that it will not allow the proposed 9900 MW project in coastal Konkan to be forced upon the local population of fishermen and mango farmers.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting in the morning at his Matoshri residence with senior leaders who were part of the delegation. “There is no question of Shiv Sena changing its stand. We will continue to oppose the project. In the Matoshri meetings, Uddhavji reviewed several issues, including Jaitapur,” said Arvind Sawant, Shiv Sena MP from South Mumbai.
Mr. Sawant denied reports that Prime Minister Modi had asked the Shiv Sena to drop its opposition to the project. “We had intense 35 minute discussion with the PM, and he said he will look into the issues we raised, and consult experts regarding this,” he told The Hindu . “We shared information and reports about the dangers the project posed to the environment in the context of the Fukushima disaster.”
Mr. Sawant was part of the delegation of 11 Shiv Sena MPs led by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and RPI leader Ramdas Athavale who met Mr. Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday to explain their reasons for opposing the project.
Meanwhile, reiterating the party’s stand, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray tweeted: “The locals do not want 100% risk in Jaitapur, Maharashtra. It [the project] cannot be forced and put there. We’ve constantly voiced this issue, will do so.”
“Jaitapur power project was forced on locals by UPA 2. Two locals were shot dead in protests. Largest power plant being forced on locals... Jaitapur power plant is the largest in the world, in seismic zone 3, in the path of the monsoon winds. A minor leak can wipe out the nation,” Mr. Thackeray wrote in a series of tweets. “The voice of the locals in Jaitapur must be heard. Risk be seen. Development cannot risk life. Sustainable development is the need today.”
Mr. Thackeray also batted for renewable energy and questioned the claims that nuclear energy was without risks. “Nuclear energy is neither clean nor green and its waste has no proper form of disposal after decades of its use world over. Nuclear energy is a technology that is being refused by countries like Germany, Switzerland, USA, Japan and many other developed nations. What is of great concern is why our nation is accepting the refuse of the most advanced countries of the world — nuclear technology,” he tweeted.
