Advani harps on KKNPP safety

MADURAI: BJP leader L K Advani has said that the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant Project (KKNPP) should be re-examined, keeping in mind the safety and security of the people around the site. Addressing a public meeting here on Thursday as part of his Jan Chethna Yatra against corruption, Advani said that the Centre’s decision-making process with regard to policies concerning the people of Tamil Nadu had come to a standstill.Commercial agreements have been made on the Koodankulam project, but those shouldn’t be at the cost of the people, he felt.Across the globe, after the  Fukushima incident, policies with regard to nuclear plants, particularly the ones located near coastal areas, had been re-examined from the safety point of view, he said.The BJP leader took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, calling him “a weak PM who is not capable of making proper decisions”.Citing an example, Advani said that the Centre had made a policy decision to construct 50,000 houses for Tamils in war-torn Lanka, but could not deliver on it. The Indian foreign secretary, during his Lanka visit, too,  admitted to the delay on the Government’s part, he claimed. Advani also said that he would impress upon the Centre to view the attacks on Indian fishermen by the Lankan Navy in a wider perspective and not just as a local issue.“Tamil fishermen were shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy frequently. We can’t allow that to happen anymore,” he said.Advani said that corruption had doubled in the 60 years of Independence and alleged that about `25 lakh crore black money had been stashed in foreign banks.“During my yatra, people question me as to what steps the BJP took during its regime to bring back the black money deposited in the Swiss Bank. They should understand that only after the US and Europe adopted a resolution against corruption and  black money in the UN and pressured Switzerland, did that government pass an Act in 2011 to return the ill-gotten money to the nations concerned,” he said.