VS to visit Kudankulam today; to support stir

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Differing from CPI (M)'s official line opposing scrapping of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, party veteran and former chief minister V S Achuthanandan is visiting the coastal town in neighbouring Tamil Nadu today to express solidarity with the protesters.

'I will be going to Kudankulam tomorrow', 88-year old Leader of the Opposition in Kerala assembly told reporters here on Monday.

Achuthanandan, who has supported the protest against the KNPP, has said atomic plants were "very dangerous".

CPI (M) had, however, stated that the demand for closure of the plant was neither practical nor would serve the country's interests as all works had been completed by spending Rs 15,000 crore.

The party had further said it was not opposed to nuclear energy as such but the safety of the plants should be assured.

Earlier, Achuthanandan was restrained by the party from visiting Kudankulam, about 130 km from here, to lend support to the agitation being spearheaded by the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) since August last year.