Stir against nuclear plant gets Vijaykant support

The surprise move by the Opposition leader, even after Chief Minister J Jayalalitha and the Nuclear Power Corporation had sought to allay fears on the plant’s safety, has put the government in a fix.

The DMDK leader, despite being an AIADMK ally till date, promised the villagers to take up the issue with the Centre and the state government.

Sources told Deccan Herald that the DMDK chief’s move was in response to Jayalalitha “unilaterally” announcing AIADMK nominees to all the ten mayor and municipal chairmen posts for 52 municipalities for the  elections to local bodies in October.

The locals, mainly fishermen, opposing the plant want the government to shelve its plan to construct two nuclear reactors with Russian assistance at the earliest. The voices of the protesters are getting shriller after the recent explosion in a French nuclear waste handling plant.  

State Electricity Minister Natham Viswanathan, however, has dubbed the agitation “politically motivated” when the chief minister was working hard to end power crisis. Vijayakant was obliged to call on the protesters as Radhapuram Assembly segment in which the nuclear plant is located is represented by the DMDK nominee Michael Royappan.

Earlier at the Rajaji Government Hospital in Madurai, Vijaykant also called on the injured victims of last Sunday’s police firing at Paramakudi in which seven Dalits were killed, when they had assembled to pay homage at the samadhi of  Immanuel Sekaran.

Sex scandal hits AIADMK camp

Former MLA Paranjothi , AIADMK nominee for the Assembly by-polls from Tiruchirappalli West slated for October 13, has found himself embroiled in a sex scandal. The post fell vacant after AIADMK minister Mariam Pitchai died in a road accident when he was on way to the swearing-in ceremony. One Dr Rani, claiming to be Paranjothi’s “second wife”, has accused him of “cheating her and several other women.”