DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday denied Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s allegation that he was responsible for launching the Sterlite Copper unit in Thoothukudi.
“The Chief Minister is responsible for the police firing on peaceful protesters, in which 13 persons were killed. Since elections are approaching, the Chief Minister is uttering a blatant lie. His speech is highly condemnable,” Mr. Stalin said in a statement.
He said the country had watched policemen stand on vans and fire on protesters. “After constituting a commission to probe the incident, the CM fears that his true face will be unmasked,” he said.
Reiterating that former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa issued a no-objection certificate to the unit in August 1994, he said the TNPCB granted environmental clearance on May 17, 1995. “It was Jayalalithaa who laid the foundation stone and inaugurated the unit. She even said the unit was a milestone in the development of industry in the State,” Mr. Stalin said.
In a separate statement, he urged the State government to hold counselling for medical admissions in the State, online.
