TN adopts motion, asks centre to scrap tungsten mining
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Government of India (GOI) to immediately cancel tungsten mining rights given to Hindustan Zinc Limited in Madurai district and not to grant any mining licence in the future without the permission of the state government.
Chief Minister MK Stalin assured the House that as long as he is the CM, the Tamil Nadu government will never allow tungsten mining in Madurai district.
The passing of the resolution witnessed heated exchanges involving the CM, Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan and AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Though the AIADMK accused the ruling DMK of failing to take timely action which it alleged led to the awarding of the mining rights, it supported the resolution. The BJP, which was evasive in supporting the resolution, however, did not oppose the motion during the voice vote.
Palaniswami accused the DMK MPs of not exerting any pressure on the GOI in Parliament to stop the auction or the adoption of the Bill to amend the Mines and Minerals Act concerning strategic and critical minerals.
Duraimurugan denied the allegations and said the government indeed opposed GOI’s move time and again. The CM added that the DMK MPs strongly opposed the amendment but the BJP-led union government passed the Bill using its majority.
Won’t approve mining even if centre completes auction: CM
When Palaniswami said the DMK government could have averted passing of the resolution and protests by the people had it acted on time in February when the auction process was started, the CM retorted, “The Leader of the Opposition might have felt that way. But in reality, the government opposed this scheme stoutly and it will continue to do so.”
The DMK government was never lethargic about the issue, Stalin said, adding, “Even if the union government completes the auction for tungsten mining, the state will not give its approval. We are firm on this…I request the opposition leader to help the unanimous adoption of this resolution.” Palaniswami later said, “The AIADMK will not allow any project that goes against the interests of people and that’s why the party supported the resolution.”
BJP floor leader Nainar Nagendran also said the DMK government should have told the GOI to stop the auction when the process started in February. Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu countered the allegation and said at no point in time did the state government fail to register its opposition for the project. He accused the GOI of not giving up the auction even after the CM opposed it.
Heated exchanges continued even outside the Assembly on Monday. After a video of AIADMK MP M Thambidurai speaking in favour of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, in the parliament surfaced, the CM, in a post on X, accused the AIADMK of betraying TN by supporting the Bill and later speaking in the Assembly as if the party was for the welfare of TN. He accused Palaniswami of being a symbol of AIADMK’s “treacherous history”.
Thambidurai quickly clarified by addressing the media in Delhi. He said he did not speak in favour of tungsten mining in Madurai district but only welcomed the introduction of an auctioning process for minerals since the DMK government was allegedly sending them to neighbouring states unofficially.
Palaniswami, on his X handle, said Thambidurai only spoke about how minerals were given to the private sector without any auction during the UPA regime in which the DMK was a partner. The DMK MPs did not oppose the bill to amend the Mining and Minerals Act in Parliament, but the CM, by hiding this fact, was spreading false information, EPS said.
Meanwhile, BJP state president K Annamalai, in a post on X, said he had requested Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy over phone to give up tungsten mining in Madurai considering the opposition from the public. The union minister has promised to consider the request, Annamalai said.
AIADMK supported bill that snatched states’ rights: Stalin
Later, referring to a tweet from CPM MP Su Venkatesan on how the MPs from the DMK and its allies stoutly opposed the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, 2023, in Parliament while the AIADMK MPs did not raise their voice against it, the CM said, “Truth cannot be buried.
AIADMK MP M Thambidurai supported a bill that snatched away the rights of the states and empowered the union government. Was that not a blatant betrayal? Having done all these, Palaniswami has enacted a drama here. I request Palaniswami to learn to speak the truth from now on.”
The CM also pointed out that the above amendment aimed to empower the GOI alone to auction certain critical elements and the AIADMK supported it. “The Tamil Nadu government did not come forward to engage itself in tungsten mining in Arittapatti.
Since the same situation prevailed in many states, the GOI introduced a bill to empower itself to auction such minerals and AIADMK supported it. Only based on this legislation, GOI started the process for auctioning of tungsten mining in Arittapatti,” the CM added.