‘Won’t relent until delta gets agri zone tag’
NAGAPATTINAM: He learnt a lot from his father T Thangavelu. His streak of activism was inspired by none other than his father, who is no more. Professor T Jayaraman (63), locally known as ‘Methane’ Jayaraman, was arrested under 12 Sections of the Indian Penal Code after protests over ONGC pipe leak at Kathiramangalam in Thanjavur district turned violent on June 30.
“It is hard to spend days in jail. But I stepped into it for my people. So I am happy. My father was partially unconscious at the time of my arrest. My wife later informed him about my arrest. He then cried like a child,” said Jayaraman, who managed to attend the funeral at Senthangudi on Monday, a day after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court gave a favourable verdict on his interim bail plea.
Jayaraman had all the support of his 97-year-old father, who himself was an activist at heart. As the chief coordinator of the Anti-Methane Project Movement, Jayaraman had organised several protests against the extraction of methane in the Delta districts.
On Monday, Jayaraman was all soaked in emotions. “I am the second generation when it comes to holding protests. As a Congressman, my father was associated with the freedom movement. He participated in various agitations in the pre-Independence era,” Jayaraman said.
“Being a strong supporter of late former Chief Minister Kamaraj, he used to always laud the leader’s works. While he struggled for independent land, I am struggling for self-dependence and a secure land. I am asking the government to announce the Cauvery Delta as agriculture protected zone,” he said.
“Though I was a Periyar supporter and backed various protests in my earlier life, my father never stopped me. But he advised me to keep off violence,” Jayaraman said.
True to Thangavel’s advice, the first thing that Jayaraman had to tell when asked about Kathiramangalam protest was this. “I want to clear air on one thing. I did not cause any damage to public property. I do not believe in violence and do not practice it either. But police have booked me for exactly the same thing.”
Farmer at Jantar Mantar protest tries to kill self
New Delhi: A farmer protesting at Jantar Mantar tried to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills. Police said the farmer, identified as Subramaniam (61), took about 10 sleeping pills as he was very depressed and tensed. “If the government fail to listen to us, then every farmer will be forced to follow suit. We are already dead,” said Gopalan, another farmer protesting in Delhi. ENS