Kudankulam row: SP Udayakumar says protesters ready for talks

Continuing his fast against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, convener of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) SP Udayakumar on Sunday said the protesters were "ready" for talks.

"We are ready for talks. If we are considered people of this country and if our ahimsa protest is respected, government should talk to us. They should treat us like Indian people," Udayakumar, on an indefinite fast since March 12 along with his supporters, told reporters in Idinthakarai near here, the epicentre of the stir against the project.

He said it was regrettable that the government was suddenly "belittling" the protesters by accusing them of having links with Maoists and foreign countries.

Observing that the protesters met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa twice as part of their dialogue process, he said, "suddenly to describe and portray us as having links with Naxals and as anti-nationals, demeans people who have faith in democracy."

The anti-nuclear activists of PMANE have been on an indefinite fast after Tamil Nadu government gave its go-ahead to the Indo-Russian nuclear project on March 19, after which work at the plant is on in full swing.