CUDDALORE: Former minister and AIADMK Rajya Sabha member C Ve Shanmugam stirred a hornet’s nest in the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu by saying that the ruling DMK will dump its UPA alliance partners, the Congress and the Left, and will join hands with the BJP, leader of the national NDA alliance, for the 2024 parliament elections in Tamil Nadu.
Reacting to the comment, BJP leader Annamalai told reporters in Coimbatore that there is a point to the subject only when leaders of DMK and BJP both talk about the alliance. In a witty repartee, Annamalai said he is going to check whether Shanmugam had joined the BJP.
The AIADMK leader said this at a protest organised by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Cuddalore district west unit near the entrance of the mine two of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited (NLCIL) on Saturday against the coal major’s alleged move to acquire land and houses without giving jobs to the affected, dismissal of contract workers, and failure of the central and state governments in not taking action on the issues.
C Ve Shanmugam, who led the protest, said, “NLCIL has been cheating the people of 44 villages and now they have started land acquisition for the third mine. All the talks and protests are taking place around the NLCIL chairman. But he is just a government employee and he can’t do anything. NLCIL is under the control of mines department of the Centre.”
“Both NLCIL and the Centre have not done anything for the people who gave land and houses. Land acquisition and compensation must be given by both the central and state governments. So, the protests must be against them. Today, laws have changed. Under which law is the NLCIL going to acquire the land and houses. Fair compensation, transparent land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement are must before acquiring the land. How can they take lands before doing anything?”
“Coal India Limited is owned by the Union government and as per law they are acquiring lands and giving compensation. But here they are not following those norms. Our protests must reach the central government, only then we can get a solution,” Shanmugam said.
AIADMK MLAs A Arunmozhithevan of Bhuvanagiri, K A Pandian of Chidambaram, former minister Selvi Ramajayam and former MLAs and party functionaries and about 1,000 cadres took part in the protest.