“Nuclear plant being operationalised without putting safety measures in place”

Coming out in support of those opposing the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu, members of the India Against Corruption on Monday accused the government of using charges of sedition to muzzle voices of dissent.

At a joint press conference here, Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and psephologist Yogendra Yadav condemned the police action against protesters. They also assailed the arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, saying he had not drawn a cartoon to wage a war against the state but used Parliament as a symbol to express his anguish at corruption.

“A large number of locals in Kudankulam have been slapped with sedition cases. This shows the intolerant and fascist face of the government. The government is targeting people who are highlighting corruption,” Mr. Bhushan said.

Alleging that the plant was being operationalised without safety measures, he said the locals were protesting after witnessing the catastrophic accident in Japan’s Fukushima last year. Though the AERB had informed the Madras High Court that it would not allow the plant to start before implementing safety measures, “the authorities have decided to load fuel rods immediately and start the plant soon.”