Prominent citizens of Chennai on Tuesday have appealed to chief minister Jayalalithaa to desist from using force and strength to push the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant project down the throats of unwilling communities.
“We want the government to recall the large posse of police deployed in and around Koodankulam and hold talks with agitators,” Gnani Sankaran, writer-cum-activist said.
Prominent citizens , including writer Manushaputhiran, actress Rohini, poet Chandra Thangaraj and PUCL TN and Puducherry president V. Suresh termed the government’s decision ill-informed and a betrayal of the trust reposed in the Cm by those opposed to the nuclear plant.
Mr Gnani charged the government with waging a war against people staging a non-violent protest against the nuke plant. “The non-violent movement by the people of Idinthakarai is the longest such protest after the freedom struggle. But the government is waging a war against peaceful protesters,” he said, demanding the chief minister to meet the scientists who are backing the agitation.
Mr Manushaputhiran warned that the state government would be held responsible if any untoward incident happened in Koodankulam.
A statement signed by nearly 100 persons including retired judges, scientists, academicians, writers and human right activists termed the decision a ill-informed. “We condemn the deployment of armed policemen in an area where people have been peacefully protesting for six months.
Knowing the resolve of the agitating communities, the government’s hard-line stance and police posturing can only lead to a nuclear Nandigram,” they said.