Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has stoked controversy yet again, calling the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi “foreign funded”. Speaking at an event at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday, April 6, Ravi said, “It was entirely foreign funding activities that led to the protest. Unfortunately there was police firing that cost innocent lives. That is the very sad part of it. But they wanted Sterlite to be closed. Sterlite was providing 40% of the country’s copper needs. And you know how important copper is for the electronics industry.”
The protests against Vedanta’s Sterlite copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi began in opposition to the environmental degradation in the surrounding areas and a host of health issues faced by the people living around the plant. On May 22, 2018, marking the 100th day of agitations, protesters took out a massive rally. Police opened fire killing 14 people in total including 17-year-old Snowlin, who died from a bullet wound to her mouth.
At the event, Ravi also said, “Today foreign and external elements are not in a position to take on India directly. So our vulnerability is within. Create issues. Create disharmony. Create a situation which stops the progress. Create tensions. Create riots.”
Reacting to the speech, general secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Vaiko said, “The Governor spoke with arrogance. I am speaking with the right of someone who has been involved in the legal fight against Sterlite with multiple pieces of evidence that show that the plant will destroy the entire Thoothukudi. How much money has RN Ravi taken from the Vedanta family to speak like this? The statements are unjust and insulting to all those who came together in protest.”
Also reacting to the speech, Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi said, “I condemn the Governor who is defaming the people’s struggle.”
மக்கள் போராட்டத்தைக் கொச்சைப்படுத்தும் ஆளுநரைக் கண்டிக்கிறேன். @rajbhavan_tn
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) April 6, 2023
Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary R Mutharasan said, “It is clear that Governor RN Ravi, who is insulting the protesters and those who made sacrifices, is an irresponsible person.”
Condemning his statement, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) state secretary K Balakrishnan said, “RN Ravi’s statement insulting those who protested for their livelihood is condemnable. This statement is transgressing Constitutional boundaries.”
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Rajya Sabha that it was scrutinising an NGO – One Media – claiming that the organisation had misused a portion of the Rs 3 crore received as foreign contributions. The Home Ministry claimed that One Media was instrumental in helping organise the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi.