Choice of nominees attracts criticism

CHENNAI: The nomination of M Pushparayan and M P Jesuraj as members of the committee to be formed by the TN government to deal with the Koodankulam imbroglio on Tuesday has already set tongues wagging in the southern districts, where many activists, groups, intellectuals and environmentalists have rasised their voice against the setting up of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) for the past 25 years.Their selection has also given credence to the allegation that the anti-KKNPP agitation has been hijacked by the Roman Catholic Church. Soon after the coordinator of People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which has been spearheading the latest protests announced that that the names of Pushparayan and Jesuraj had been given to the collector, resentment set in among many sections of activists across the State.Though both the nominees are also activists involved in the protests for the past few years, both belong to the Roman Catholic clergy. While Jesuraj is the parish priest of Cheranmadevi church, Pushparayan has sought to be relieved of religious responsibilities. He was earlier the parish priest at Perumanal, near Idinthakarai, but now runs an NGO, Coastal People’s Trust. However, sources said, the church is yet to formally relieve him from priesthood, though he is already married and leads the life of a layman.Jesuraj has been taking the line of Tamil lovers and denouncing the Central government all through the agitation, sources said. He hails from the Nadar community, whose members in the southern district are now keeping away from the agitations. That could scotch the other charge that the fishermen community was trying to dominate the agitation to corner all benefits that the government might offer as quid pro quo for letting the plant be commissioned.However, activists point out that the two nominees do not have scientific knowledge to counter the arguments that the energy experts would give. Their activism and theological training might have helped them in mobilising crowds but they may fail in countering the scientific community’s claims, the activists say. The nomination of the two persons connected with the church has the potential to alienate not only other activists, who had been campaigning against nuclear energy with particular reference to KKNPP for a long time but also people from other communities.