CHENNAI: The state Assembly on Wednesday witnessed a heated debate once again on the tungsten mining issue, specifically regarding who supported the bill to amend the Mines and Minerals Act in Parliament, which granted powers to the Union government to auction critical minerals.
A call attention motion on the issue was brought by various parties in the Assembly on Wednesday, due to ongoing protests in Madurai district by large sections of people demanding the complete cancellation of the auction, although the project has already been put on hold following stiff opposition.
MLAs from many parties, including MDMK, Tamilaga Vazhvurimai Katchi, CPM, PMK, and Congress, spoke. AIADMK MLA VV Rajan Chellappa spoke against the DMK government for failing to prevent the auction.
Chief Minister MK Stalin and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu accused the AIADMK of supporting the bill’s passage in Parliament, pointing out that AIADMK MP M Thambidurai spoke in favour of it.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu stated that AIADMK’s support for passing the amendment was the root cause of the issue. He further said that the DMK government consistently opposed the move to auction at every stage.
Chief Minister MK Stalin and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu accused the AIADMK of supporting the bill’s passage in Parliament, pointing out that AIADMK MP M Thambidurai spoke in favour of it.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu stated that AIADMK’s support for passing the amendment was the root cause of the issue. He further said that the DMK government consistently opposed the move to auction at every stage.
Chief Minister MK Stalin pressed the AIADMK members for an answer. “Your Rajya Sabha member spoke in favour. Is this true or not?...The AIADMK must clarify its stance,” he said. AIADMK deputy floor leader RB Udhayakumar said his party’s MP supported only the need for bringing in an auction process to ensure transparency in the granting of mining rights.
The AIADMK members came to the Assembly wearing black shirts, and their face masks featured the slogan, “Avoid tungsten, protect Melur.”
The Madurai rural and city police on Wednesday booked four cases against anti-tungsten protesters over the mega rally and a subsequent protest on Tuesday. The protesters, who gathered at Nayakarpatti, took out a rally and reached Tallakulam in Madurai city, where they staged a protest before the head post office against the central government, seeking to cancel the tungsten mining project.
They also sought the state government’s intervention by bringing about appropriate changes. While the protesters initially sought permission for the protest in front of the post office, they took a rally without permission, causing inconvenience to the public.
Police personnel were deployed in large numbers to prevent any untoward incidents, and traffic diversions were also in place in the city. A total of four cases were booked against the protesters. While their names were not mentioned, they were noted as protesters who participated in the rally, said a senior police officer.