War of words over Tata's Titanium plant rages on
CM, Jaya cross swords
NT Bureau Chennai, Jul 31:
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has refuted the claims made by AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa regarding Titanium Dioxide plant issue and termed it as bundle of lies. In a sharp reaction to Jayalalithaa's statement dated 29 July, 2007, he said that she had mentioned that even after signing an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tata group for Titanium Dioxide project, she had returned the file without signing since the Tirunelveli and Tuticorin District Collectors opposed the move. There is no truth it in as the District Collectors concerned had given their nod for acquisition of lands for the project.
Citing the letter dated 8 August, 2005, Karunanidhi said that the then Tuticorin District Collector had recommended for acquiring 2,500 acres of land. It is pertinent to point out that an assurance was given in the MoU signed in 2002 for acquisition of 5,000 acres of land for the proposed project.
In a step further, the then Tirunelveli District Collector in his report dated 30 September, 2007 had recommended for acquiring 3,263 acres of land legally in Tirunelveli district.
Cornering Jayalalithaa in retaliation, he said that both the District Collectors had given the green signal for acquiring lands vide their letters which is ample proof to show Jayalalithaa's blatant lies.
On her double standards, Karunanidhi said she now makes a 'U' turn by saying that the MoU signed on 27, May, 2002 with Tata group was just a techno-feasibility study.
Karunanidhi referred to the contents of the MoU wherein column 6.2 (b) reads thus: The government of Tamilnadu shall acquire to the extent necessary and transfer the lands to Tata Steel for mining, downstream facilities and residential complexes, the cost of which shall be borne by Tata Steel. This clearly states that the government shall acquire the lands and hand it over to Tata group for the proposed project.
Posing a query, he asked as to why she remained silent when this MoU was signed and failed to protest against this if she was really interested in the welfare of the farmers of the said districts whose lands were to be acquired.
The reason behind her announcement to lead a protest agitation against the project is to protect and safeguard Vaikundarajan, a partner in Jaya TV, he said.
NT Bureau Chennai, July 31:
Political stand-off between the ruling party and the Opposition over the shelved titanium project has reached a new point today with the AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa declaring that she would file civil and criminal suits against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for his 'defamatory statements'. Referring to the Chief Minister's remark in a press release yesterday that Jayalalithaa had allowed the MoU she had signed with Tatas on May 2002 to gather dust because of an oral agreement she had entered into with a thug who had swindled garnet ore, an invaluable mineral, from the project site. Besides incurring crores of losses to the government through the illegal mining of the mineral, the thug was a major shareholder in Jaya TV, Karunanidhi charged.
Denying the charges of the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa said the Opposition as well as the allies of the DPA regime in Tamilnadu have raised their opposition to the titanium project. 'Now, he has accused me of trying to protect the interests of an individual through a protest against the Tata project,' she said in the release. Garnet being a major mineral would come under the direct control of the Union Ministry of Mines and any wrong doings or illegal extraction in the sector would be dealt with according to the laws and regulations, she said.
Further, given such a regulation over the extraction of major minerals, Karunanidhi's charge that she was trying to protect the interests of an individual, who was allegedly swindling the precious resource, through an agitation only went to prove that the Chief Minister has little knowledge of law or aware of the public mood at the two districts. The Chief Minister has vented his personal ire against her who had announced a massive protest against the Tata project in the interests of the local public, she said.
Jayalalithaa clarified she was not releasing statements only to make her presence felt in politics as charged by Karunanidhi. Only it was the Chief Minister who was misusing the tax payer's money and government facility to issue press statements, she alleged. Jayalalithaa called upon the public to understand that only for his own personal gains, the Chief Minister was using the government machinery as a propaganda tool.
CM, Jaya cross swords
NT Bureau Chennai, Jul 31:
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has refuted the claims made by AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa regarding Titanium Dioxide plant issue and termed it as bundle of lies. In a sharp reaction to Jayalalithaa's statement dated 29 July, 2007, he said that she had mentioned that even after signing an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tata group for Titanium Dioxide project, she had returned the file without signing since the Tirunelveli and Tuticorin District Collectors opposed the move. There is no truth it in as the District Collectors concerned had given their nod for acquisition of lands for the project.
Citing the letter dated 8 August, 2005, Karunanidhi said that the then Tuticorin District Collector had recommended for acquiring 2,500 acres of land. It is pertinent to point out that an assurance was given in the MoU signed in 2002 for acquisition of 5,000 acres of land for the proposed project.
In a step further, the then Tirunelveli District Collector in his report dated 30 September, 2007 had recommended for acquiring 3,263 acres of land legally in Tirunelveli district.
Cornering Jayalalithaa in retaliation, he said that both the District Collectors had given the green signal for acquiring lands vide their letters which is ample proof to show Jayalalithaa's blatant lies.
On her double standards, Karunanidhi said she now makes a 'U' turn by saying that the MoU signed on 27, May, 2002 with Tata group was just a techno-feasibility study.
Karunanidhi referred to the contents of the MoU wherein column 6.2 (b) reads thus: The government of Tamilnadu shall acquire to the extent necessary and transfer the lands to Tata Steel for mining, downstream facilities and residential complexes, the cost of which shall be borne by Tata Steel. This clearly states that the government shall acquire the lands and hand it over to Tata group for the proposed project.
Posing a query, he asked as to why she remained silent when this MoU was signed and failed to protest against this if she was really interested in the welfare of the farmers of the said districts whose lands were to be acquired.
The reason behind her announcement to lead a protest agitation against the project is to protect and safeguard Vaikundarajan, a partner in Jaya TV, he said.
NT Bureau Chennai, July 31:
Political stand-off between the ruling party and the Opposition over the shelved titanium project has reached a new point today with the AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa declaring that she would file civil and criminal suits against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for his 'defamatory statements'. Referring to the Chief Minister's remark in a press release yesterday that Jayalalithaa had allowed the MoU she had signed with Tatas on May 2002 to gather dust because of an oral agreement she had entered into with a thug who had swindled garnet ore, an invaluable mineral, from the project site. Besides incurring crores of losses to the government through the illegal mining of the mineral, the thug was a major shareholder in Jaya TV, Karunanidhi charged.
Denying the charges of the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa said the Opposition as well as the allies of the DPA regime in Tamilnadu have raised their opposition to the titanium project. 'Now, he has accused me of trying to protect the interests of an individual through a protest against the Tata project,' she said in the release. Garnet being a major mineral would come under the direct control of the Union Ministry of Mines and any wrong doings or illegal extraction in the sector would be dealt with according to the laws and regulations, she said.
Further, given such a regulation over the extraction of major minerals, Karunanidhi's charge that she was trying to protect the interests of an individual, who was allegedly swindling the precious resource, through an agitation only went to prove that the Chief Minister has little knowledge of law or aware of the public mood at the two districts. The Chief Minister has vented his personal ire against her who had announced a massive protest against the Tata project in the interests of the local public, she said.
Jayalalithaa clarified she was not releasing statements only to make her presence felt in politics as charged by Karunanidhi. Only it was the Chief Minister who was misusing the tax payer's money and government facility to issue press statements, she alleged. Jayalalithaa called upon the public to understand that only for his own personal gains, the Chief Minister was using the government machinery as a propaganda tool.
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