
MADURAI: Members of the Tungsten Suranga Thitta Ethirppu Makkal Kootamaippu said they refuse to believe state BJP president K Annamalai’s statement that the union government will not carry out the tungsten mining project in Melur taluk of Madurai district, and instead, urged Annamalai to get the union government to officially declare that the project has been dropped.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the collective stated that Annamalai, on Friday, assured that the union government would not proceed with the tungsten mining project and asked them to call off the protest. While the members said they welcomed the BJP leader’s remarks, they said the statement must be made by Union Minister of Mines G Kishan Reddy and must subsequently be announced through a gazette.
“Until then, we will refuse to believe that the union government has dropped the project. We are aware of the BJP’s tactics. Instead of diverting people with such statements, Annamalai could approach PM Narendra Modi and stop the mining project.”
They also urged the state government to avoid statements such as ‘the mining project will not happen as long as the DMK is in power’, and sought Melur to be declared as a protected agricultural and archaeological site. The police must not disturb the protesters fighting for this cause, they added.
CM falsely accused me of supporting tungsten mining: Thambidurai
Krishnagiri: AIADMK MP M Thambidurai on Sunday said legal steps will be initiated against Chief Minister MK Stalin for spreading false information that he supported tungsten mining in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Speaking to reporters at Bargur, he said, “I didn’t support tungsten mining in Madurai, I only supported the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023. But Chief Minister MK Stalin in the Assembly said I supported the union government to pave the way for tungsten mining in Tamil Nadu. “I will initiate a privilege motion against Chief Minister MK Stalin this month in the Parliament for levelling false statements about me in the Assembly. Also, the DMK government is diverting the Anna University sexual assault incident in the Assembly by falsely speaking about tungsten mining.”