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"Former President A P J Abdul Kalam is a nuclear man and would only support and advocate for the nuclear plant at Koodankulam, which the villagers are opposing," CPI National Secretary D Raja told reporters here.
Kalam was responsible for the Pokhran test when A B Vajpayee was Prime Minister, he said when reporters sought his reaction on the ongoing agitation against the plant and the move by Kalam to sort out the issue. "Rest is for your imagination," he said.
As far as CPI was concerned, Raja said the party has made it clear, when a delegation from Koodankulam met Prime MInister Manmohan Singh, that the safety of people and surroundings was paramount before commissioning of the plant.
When it was pointed out that non-commissioning of the plant within the timeframe would prove to be more dangerous, as cautioned by Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Srikumar Banerjee, he said CPI was also saying the same thing. Before commissioning the plant, the Government should take all safety measures, Raja said.
CPI has suggested constituting an expert panel, outside the Government, to identify the possible risk and other aspects, like storage and disposal of spent fuel, he said. The plant, for that matter at any location, can be commissioned, after pronouncing a comprehensive nuclear policy, with total safety measures, which was lacking at present, Raja added. Kalam, on a mission to allay fears about the safety of the nuclear plant, said at Koodankulam that it was `completely safe` as it is located in a low frequency seismic zone, a view rejected by the locals.
