If the word ‘Protest’ were to be personified and had to reside on Earth, Tamil Nadu would be the perfect candidate to host it! Right after Jallikattu, the Tamizh pride has been marketed quite well and the political leaders are reaping good dividends of the harvest. In today’s world, a Whatsapp forward has become enough for people to come on the streets and protest. Lakes, trees, rivers, hills environment are the trigger words, but the core word that pulls loads of crowd has been ‘Tamizhan’.
So the soil is fertile, every other political leader in Tamil Nadu has been trying to sow the ‘seeds’ right before the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and hoping for early state elections. When all such leaders are getting into the fray, how would Vaiko, leader of MDMK, miss out on such an opportune moment to brand himself and his party better. Vaiko was once a very lethal politician in the state, and his party MDMK was also seen as the alternative between ADMK and DMK. But all that glory died down and he was part of the third front along with DMDK-PWF-TMC which failed to create any impact on the 2016 election results. The seasoned politician is also known to have tried other ways of branding his party. Having seen all those steps fail, he chose to take the tried and tested step to achieve Political Nirvana: Protest.
Neutrino Project Protest :
- It has been scientifically proven that neutrinos have no impact on human beings. Neutrinos have been bombarded in abundance by the sun every single day. These particles are charge-less, and have almost no mass and are abundantly found in the universe.
- Tapping in on the fear surrounding the project, Mr Vaiko went into a full-fledged protest against possibly the most sophisticated project in India.
- The usual pattern of fears has been used: miscarriage, cancer radiation, and destruction of ecology.
- The chosen site falls under Seismic zone 2, probably the safest zone on the Earth. Vaiko claims it to be on seismic zone 35, an imaginary figure only known to him.
Kudangulam Project Protest :
- The Indo-Russian nuclear project which has the potential to make India a self-sufficient nation in terms of energy was met with huge protests by the ignorant locals.
- The misinformation of nuclear radiation was spread like wildfire throughout the state by leaders, who had clearly lost a narrative to be relevant politically.
- In his attempt to gain voters, Vaiko had made this his party’s 2014 election manifesto to get the advanced nuclear power plant closed.
- This is the very plant which the Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam pronounced safe.
- Vaiko wanting to close the power plant that makes India a self-sufficient energy nation could mean either of the two things :
a) Vaiko saw something wrong in the science that APJ Kalam missed out or
b) It’s a lazy way of stirring up emotions, to garner votes for the upcoming elections.
Sterlite Copper Protest :
- The Sterlite Copper protest has had a direct effect on the Copper prices because of the closure of the Smelter plants. Copper prices have increased by over 9% since the plant closed.
- The Satyavijayi team had already sensed a foreign hand involvement when conspiracy behind the protests was reported. Read here
- The Indian defence sector depends upon copper for the production of arms and ammunition, a self-sufficient country on the way to becoming a Superpower isn’t what exactly our communist neighbour would want.
- Influencers loaded with foreign funds seem to be loyal to the nation that has paid them and not the one they’re born in.
- Vaiko has been a seasoned petitioner against Sterlite Copper and has been filing a writ petition in the courts since 2001.
When the ‘Protest’ fields provide a leader such a powerful launchpad, the people of the state should be vigilant to not let the political leaders use them for their gains. Because a leader who opposes a certain party today would change his preference and might even support the same party tomorrow as per his political ambitions. MK Stalin was accused as the architect of the 2G scam by Vaiko and had dared them to file a defamation case against him in 2016. A year later, he sees a future CM in MK Stalin.
An average youngster in Tamil Nadu today is bombarded with Whatsapp forwards, Media news, YouTube videos, Facebook memes about how industries, government projects are harmful to him. With the youngster drowning in misinformation, he loses his ability to question who gains out of all this? Who gains if the industries run away from TN? Who would gain if there are jobless youths on streets? What do these leaders children do?
Vaiko in his protests has claimed that Sterlite Copper has caused cancer to the residents of Tuticorin. The emissions from the plant have hit the health of many people living in the area. A point to be noted is that Vaiko’s son Vaiyyapuri is the distributor of a tobacco company in Tamil Nadu. Most of the cancer cases in India have been due to the usage of Tobacco, and it has become the sole reason for around 1 Million deaths in the country, it causes 1 death in 6 seconds! The people of Tamil Nadu need to know the perils of following leaders who don’t understand the adage ‘Charity begins at home’. Polarizing words, eloquent speeches, and ideas triggering emotions led one MDMK man to self-immolate against the Neutrino project. The person later succumbed to his wounds in Apollo Hospital Chennai. The people of Tamil Nadu should keep all these things in mind when someone tries to instigate them using Tamizh emotions.
