Anti-Sterlite protests funded by foreign hands: TN Governor

Stoking yet another controversy, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Thursday termed the 2018 protests in Thoothukudi that led to the closure of the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper as “purely foreign-funded”. Sterlite Copper had accounted for 40 per cent of India’s copper production, and Ravi said it was done to hamper the country’s “growth.”

During an interaction with civil service aspirants, the Governor also took a swipe at activists, saying people come in the name of “human rights, climate, green, and environment” whenever a new project takes shape in the country and suggested that these people are “funded” by “foreign forces” who are now hesitant to take on India directly.

Read | Advertisements supporting Sterlite Copper appears in newspapers

In his answer to a question on Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) violations, the Governor said the Sterlite protest (in Thoothukudi), was purely foreign-funded and termed it as “unfortunate” and “sad part” that the police firing that claimed the lives of 13 people.

“But they wanted Sterlite to be closed. Sterlite produced 40 per cent of India’s copper needs. Copper is very important for the electronic industry, and even now the factory is closed. Ten years down the line. And all those people behind (the protests) were getting foreign contributions,” the Governor said.

The factory was shut only in 2018 not ten years ago as the Governor claimed. Not just that, he also alleged that the protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) were also “foreign-funded”, saying whenever a new project was launched, people would protest in the name of “human rights, climate, green, and environment.”

“They come in different names,” he said, adding that foreign hands fund people in India to create unrest and hamper the country’s progress indirectly as they are “not in a position to take on us” directly. The money trail of many of the NGOs who organise protests goes to foreign countries, he added.

The Governor’s remarks drew instant condemnation from political leaders with Thoothukudi MP and DMK leader Kanimozhi asking him not to “demean” the anti-Sterlite protests. “I condemn the Governor who is demeaning the protests. He should provide evidence,” she said.

Other leaders like Vaiko also condemned the Governor’s statement on Thoothukudi anti-Sterlite protests. Several environmental groups too took objection to the Governor’s statement.

Sterlite Copper was closed a week after the anti-Sterlite protests turned violent on May 22, 2018, resulting in the death of 13 civilians in police firing. The then AIADMK government closed down the plant, forcing India to import copper from other countries like China.

During his interaction, the Governor said the radicalisation of youth these days is also foreign-funded and cited the example of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

“If you look at PFI, most of the funds come from outside. All these people from India— whether from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, or Karnataka, they went to ISIS to Syria, Iran and Afghanistan — most of them, 90 per cent of them were through PFI. And they get FCRA funds, which is not acceptable,” Ravi said.