TamilNadu: Questioning the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the violence in Tuticorin, DMK working president MK Stalin has demanded to know there has been no statement from him on the issue. Slamming the Prime Minister, Stalin even asked if he was the PM of India or some other country.
“Such a big incident has taken place. Tamil Nadu is inside India only. Modi is India’s Prime Minister… Or is he some foreign country’s Prime Minister? I have suspicions now. Because in Tamil Nadu, an Indian state, such an incident has taken place where 13 people have lost their lives… 50-60 people are grievously injured and admitted to hospitals… These incidents are continuing to happen,” Stalin was quoted as saying in the Newsminute.
He also said that the PM should have visited the place or should have at least sent a central minister to assess the situation. He also called the PM’s silence shameful.
Stalin had on Saturday urged the Tamil Nadu Government to immediately convene a cabinet meeting and adopt a resolution seeking closure of the copper smelting plant in Tuticorin. DMK’s stand on the issue is that a cabinet meeting be called immediately and a resolution seeking closure of the Sterlite plant should be adopted, he said.
“The resolution should also be passed in Assembly,” he said.
After a brief budget session in March, the Assembly is scheduled to meet again from May 29.
Last week, violence erupted in Tuticorin during a protest seeking permanent closure of the Sterlite Copper Plant over alleged pollution issues. Thirteen people lost their lives while many others were injured in the police firing during the protest.
The DMK on May 25, along with opposition parties called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh condemning the incident. The government had constituted an inquiry commission headed by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the circumstances leading to the violence and police action.
Sterlite Copper is a unit of Vedanta Limited which operates a 400,000-tonne per annum capacity plant in Tuticorin.
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