People’s protest forced Centre to annul tungsten mining contract, says Chief Minister Stalin

Persistent protests by people in Madurai led to the BJP government annulling a tungsten mining contract, as stated by M.K. Stalin.

Persistent protests by people forced the BJP-led Union government to annul the tungsten mining contract awarded in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Sunday.

“BJP, the ruling party at the Centre, tried to implement the tungsten mining project in Melur, but protests by people made it withdraw its decision,” he said at a function organised at Arittapatti and A. Vellalapatti in the district to felicitate him for supporting the demonstrations and adopting a resolution in the Assembly against the project.

Women welcomed Mr. Stalin by making the ‘kulavai’ sound — a traditional practice of rejoicing during festive and happy occasions.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government announced that the four criminal cases registered against those who protested against the mining proposal were withdrawn, in line with an announcement made by Mr. Stalin earlier. An official release said cases had been registered under three sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in Madurai city, Tallakulam and Melur police stations against 11,608 people.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Stalin contended that the main reason why the State government was unable to stall the project initially was an amendment to mining laws passed in Parliament by the BJP government. “People should be aware that the DMK and its allies opposed the move in Parliament, but AIADMK leader M. Thambi Durai supported it,” he added.

He recalled that thousands of farmers marched to New Delhi, and protested against the Union government against three farm laws, and won after two years of struggle. “But the people of Melur, within two months of the [mining] auction, have won through their protests,” he added. Though the State government had sent its objections twice to the Ministry of Mines, it was deliberately concealed by them [the BJP] for political reasons, he contended.

Pointing to the gram sabha resolutions passed by villagers of Arittapatti and other areas against the project in November 2024, Mr. Stalin said that since then, the State government had stood with the people, assuring them of not allowing the project to continue.