The State government should gather public opinion before implementing the Centre’s schemes like hydrocarbon projects, neutrino laboratory and 8-lane expressway, CPI State secretary R. Mutharasan said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Mutharasan said the State was witnessing anti-hydrocarbon protests everyday ever since it was announced while the State government, which claimed that it was against those projects opposed by the people, was taking all-out efforts to take the schemes to the next level despite stiff resistance from the public, particularly farmers. “This is because of the Centre’s audacity and the pressure being exerted on the State government,” he added..
Hence, the State government, instead of crushing people’s protests through police brutality, should listen to public opinion on the hydrocarbon projects before yielding to the Centre’s pressure.
“The Union government, which is audaciously going ahead with the idea of one nation, one election, one ration card, one education policy and one language, is ultimately dreaming of enforcing one-party rule in India with an individual leading the show. Though the BJP had won 303 seats, 67% of voters have voted against the party. Hence, the BJP should take the democratic path,” Mr. Mutharasan said.
He warned that there would be no cultivable land in Tamil Nadu in a decade if the hydrocarbon, neutrino and Salem–Chennai expressway projects were implemented.
The CPI leader also came down heavily on the State government for not desilting waterbodies to store surplus water, which was the prime reason behind the acute drinking water crisis prevailing across Tamil Nadu.
