Anbumani slams Agriculture Minister Panneerselvam on NLCIL land acquisition issue

The DMK Minister is blatantly lying on the issue, says PMK leader

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday charged that Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare M.R.K. Pannerselvam was ‘blatantly lying’ on the issue of Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Ltd. (NLCIL)acquiring agricultural lands.

In a statement, Dr. Ramadoss said the district administration, which was unable to face the protests launched by the people of Cuddalore against the acquisition of farm lands by the NLCIL, was taking decisions behind the scenes by promising the people ‘daily wage jobs’.

“The NLC is not ready to give farmers permanent jobs or through co-operative unions. The district administration is fooling the people by promising them ‘daily wage jobs’. PMK district secretaries went to an event in which the Minister was supposed to hand over ‘orders’ but knowing this, he cancelled the event and it was held in the Cuddalore District Collector’s office,” the PMK leader charged.

Dr. Ramadoss said the Minister and officials of the district administration didn’t provide direct answers to any of the questions.

“While speaking to the media, Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam said that only 2,500 acres have been acquired and no more lands will be acquired henceforth. This is a blatant lie and an attempt to fool the people,” he said.

Dr. Ramadoss said that decision was taken in 2018 to acquire 4,850 hectare land and it was temporarily revoked after his party protested.

“When Mr. Pannerselvam was in the Opposition, he protested against acquisition of lands by NLCIL in February 7, 2017 in Kammapuram wearing a black shirt and organised a hunger strike. Didn’t he shout slogans stating ‘People are not ready to give lands to set up third mine so we will not allow lands to be acquired’? Then, is it not wrong to become NLCIL’s agent and state that there is no plan to acquire more lands?” he said.