Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko has appealed to all political parties to sink their differences and pass a resolution against the commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.
“Since this nuclear power programme poses a grave threat to the entire southern Tamil Nadu, all political parties should join hands with the protesters to ensure the scrapping of the project,” he said at Idinthakarai on Wednesday, when he called on the protesters.
Mr. Vaiko said developed nations such as Germany, Japan and France, which had fully understood the “evil impact of nuclear power programmes” had decided to close down nuclear reactors in their countries in a phased manner.
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The United States, which was exporting nuclear reactors to other countries, had not established new nuclear power programmes after 1979.
Against this backdrop, the Union government was actively pursing the KKNPP. If any serious accident occurred, entire southern Tamil Nadu would be destroyed, he said.
The MDMK, which never believed in ‘vote bank politics,’ would always be a part of any protest being organised across the globe to safeguard the welfare and rights of Tamils.
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“The political parties, including the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the DMK, should adopt a resolution against the KKNPP in their party’s general and the executive council meetings and express solidarity with the agitating public. The MDMK, in its recently held conference at Karur, has passed a resolution in this regard,” he said and read out the resolution at the protest venue in front of the Lourdes Church.
Coming down heavily on DMK president M. Karunanidhi, Mr. Vaiko said the former Chief Minister, who wanted the early commissioning of the plant’s first reactor and had put the blame on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for the delay, had suddenly changed his stance after witnessing the unprecedented upsurge in the anti-nuke agitation.
“Mr. Karunanidhi is trying to politicise even this serious issue which is threatening the life and livelihood of several lakhs of people.”
To express solidarity with the protesters, Mr. Vaiko also got into a pit dug up in the sand and raised slogans against the project
Later, Mr. Vaiko met the family of A. Sahayam, who died in a hospital after suffering a head injury during the ‘jal satyagraha’ held at Idinthakarai against the project.
The MDMK general secretary handed over Rs. 50,000 to the bereaved family.