CHENNAI: A 13-member delegation of agitators against the Koodankulam nuclear power plant (KNPP), led by its coordinator S P Udayakumar, on Thursday reiterated their stand that the plant must be closed down to protect the people around it. Later in the evening, they left for New Delhi as part of a delegation led by Finance Minister O Panneerselvam to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday to submit a memorandum on the issue.Earlier in the day, Public Secretary Kumar Jayant held discussions with the agitators at the State Guest House about the memorandum to be submitted to the PM. Answering queries of mediapersons, Udayakumar said, “We guess the government may reiterate the stand of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa that the Centre should suspend further works on the plant until the fears of the people are allayed.” Talking to mediapersons at the airport, Udayakumar said their team would submit a separate memorandum to the PM seeking closure of atomic plant and that the State government had not exerted any pressure on them to toe its line on the issue.The delegation comprises AIADMK MPs M Thambidurai and D Maithreyan, AISMK founder R Sarathkumar, BJP State general secretary R Saravanaperumal, the 13 Koodankulam agitators and Special Representative of TN in New Delhi R Asokan. DMDK MLA of Radhapuram, Michael Rayappan was not part of the delegation. When contacted, he said the government had not invited him to join the team. TNCC chief K V Thangkabalu is likely to go to Delhi on Friday, while CPI general secretary D Raja, already in Delhi, will also join the group.The agitators had on September 22 called off their 11-day fast at Idinthakarai for the closure of KNPP after Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa promised that the State Cabinet would adopt a resolution asking the Centre to suspend further works on the plant until the fears of the people were allayed. The CM also wrote expressing their fears to the PM, who then called her up and sought her guidance in resolving the issue.
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