TIRUNELVELI: The ongoing protests by the locals against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) have revealed an amusing political game being played by the Left parties, including the CPI(M) and CPI. The Left parties that were all out in opposing the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP) have preferred to remain silent on the KKNPP issue in spite of protests by thousands in and around Koodankulam.Is it because the Left parties feel that while JNPP is a threat to the livelihood of the people, KKNPP is safe in all aspects? Inquiries revealed that the Left parties opposed JNPP as it was an Indo-French venture and tacitly supported KKNPP because it was an Indo-Russian venture.Though the KKNPP issue mostly concerned the people of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari districts, no CPI(M) and CPI functionary from these districts have expressed their solidarity with the agitators. CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, during her recent visit to Madurai on August 27, was not particular about the KKNPP issue and just told reporters that her party would support any group against nuclear power plants. Though a series of statements have been issued by the CPI(M) Polit Bureau demanding the scrapping of Jaitapur project, the party has so far remained elusive about KKNPP.The Polit Bureau statement given earlier this year said, “the imported nuclear plants from the French company, Areva, and the reactors that is based on European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) have not been commissioned for operation anywhere in the world as yet.”The statement also rejected the justification by the authorities of ERP project at Jaitapur and questioned the reliability and safety of ‘these new reactors’. Both CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and CPI leader D Raja demanded immediate suspension of the work at JNPP on July 12 this year.Are the Left parties unaware that KKNPP too was going to use imported nuclear plants and the reactors were based on VVER-1000, which have not been commissioned for operation anywhere else in the world yet? CPI(M) and CPI party representatives here were at a loss for words when this question was put to them and requested not to reveal their names. In Prakash Karat’s words, “the plant (JNPP) will harm the livelihoods of the people of Jaitapur. The government should be warned that they are experimenting with an untested technology in this project.”Though the JNPP and KKNPP have many things in common like untested and unreliable reactors, being developed into a massive nuclear park with an estimated capacity of around 10,000 MW and the people’s opposition and apprehensions about their safety, the Left parties’ stance just because Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project is an Indo-Russian venture is merely a political game.
Comments
0 comment