At the public hearings held by a team comprising members of the AIADMK, led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and legislator and senior leader K A Sengottaiyan, the “unanimous view” was that the Tata project should be opposed. “Our livelihood and land are more precious than monetary compensation. We are hopeful that Amma (AIADMK leader, J Jayalalithaa) would come to our rescue,” said farmers at the AIADMK-sponsored hearings.

Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa have been indulging in a war of words over the project. Jayalalithaa accused the Government of “depriving thousands of farmers of their livelihood” and causing “irreparable damage to ecology and environment”, by reviving the MoU with Tata Steel. Jayalalithaa, who signed the MoU with the company in 2002, subsequently rejected the project as she said it would harm the interest of more than 20,000 poor farmers besides damaging the environment.

Karunanidhi said the “real reason” for her to shelve the project was that “she had struck an unwritten deal with one particular goon who was illegally mining and exporting garnet from the area and making crores of rupees” and who “happened to be a shareholder in Jaya TV”.

Meanwhile, the CPI, a DMK ally, said it would strongly oppose any move to acquire vast stretches of land for the Tata project. CPI National Executive member R Nallakannu said a delegation led by him visited Sathankulam and Radhapuram villages in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts to gauge the public mood. They were in a state of “panic and fear” over possibly losing their livelihood, he said.