THOOTHUKUDI: After the Tamil Nadu governor's remark alleging foreign-funded protests behind the closure of the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi, the city witnessed agitations against the governor as Sterlite supporters gained traction over his remarks.
The CPM cadre resorted to protest strongly condemning Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi's remarks on anti-Sterlite agitation. CPM district secretary KP Arumugam said the governor's remark on anti-Sterlite agitation being foreign-funded is baseless as the agitation against Sterlite Copper has been happening since its inception back in 1994. The grounds of agitation against the copper smelter has always been with regard to how it was polluting the environment, groundwater and soil, he said.
Quoting a 2018 study conducted by the district administration at 11 villages surrounding Sterlite Copper referred to in the Aruna Jegadeesan committee, Arumugam said at least 16 persons were reported to have died of various illnesses in 2015, 28 in 2016 and 31 in 2017.
Meanwhile, a member of the Sterlite supporters' Federation Nancy, told the press at a private hotel on Friday, that the governor did not level the allegations against the people of Thoothukudi, but only accused the agitators who were foreign-funded. The anti-Sterlite movements brainwashed the public and instigated them against Sterlite's copper production, she added.
Similarly, one Dhanalakshmi, who runs a pro-Sterlite NGO 'Thulasi' welcomed the governor's remark. Referring to a reply obtained by Congress Party's Rajya Sabha MP Naranbhai J Rathwa, she said an NGO named 'The Other Media' received Rs 3.54 crore from foreign sources over the past three financial years since 2019-20, and spent at least Rs 2.79 crore given to them. Dhanalakshmi further alleged that activist and retired professor Fatima Babu who led the agitations for long, had used the funds for anti-Sterlite agitations through an NGO 'Veeranganai', even though the ministry's reply did not mention the NGO Veeranganai. Ravi has only said what we have been telling since 2018, said Dhanalakshmi, she added.
When asked about the allegations levelled against her by the supporters, Fatima Babu denied the allegations claiming that it is baseless. The Veeranganai NGO was unregistered and does not have a bank account for it, she added.