AIADMK to agitate against Tata's proposed titanium plant

Chennai, July 29 (UNI) The AIADMK will soon stage a demonstration, led by its General Secretary J Jayalalithaa, against the proposed Titanium dioxide project in the southern Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu.

In a statement here today, Ms Jayalalithaa, resenting the DMK Government's move to acquire land from farmers in Sathankulam taluk, said the Rs 2,500 crore project, for which the State Government had signed an MoU with the Tata group, would affect the livelihood of around 20,000 families.

Coming down heavily on Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, she claimed that it was a blatant lie that the lands acquired for the project were barren as in reality, they were cultivable lands.

Terming Mr Karunanidhi's promise to the farmers as an ''eyewash'', Ms Jayalalithaa alleged that the MoU would benefit only the Tatas and Mr Karunanidhi, leaving the Sathankulam farmers in the lurch.

She said the AIADMK condemned the Karunanidhi Government's move to acquire lands indiscriminately from poor farmers to hand it over to entrepreneurs. ''This is nothing, but gross misuse of power.'' UNI