Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday criticised the Shiv Sena for politicising the Jaitapur nuclear plant issue.
Speaking as the opposition in the Maharashtra state assembly sought a debate on the protests in Jaitapur and moved an adjournment motion, Ramesh said nuclear energy is the only clean energy option and the Shiv Sena had no business politicising the issue.
The comment came as the situation in Jaitapur took a turn for the worse a day after one person was shot dead in police firing during protests outside the plant.
The Jaitapur nuclear power plant is being dubbed as the biggest in the world. The government is unwilling to stop completion of the 9,900 megawatt power project that is coming up in Maharashtra's Ratnaagiri district.
Last Friday, Ramesh had ruled out a 'rethink' on the project.
The Shiv Sena is spearheading a Ratnagiri shutdown call on Tuesday to protest against Monday's police firing, in which a protestor was killed
The shutdown is being supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. All three parties have accused the central and state governments of not taking the protests against the project seriously.
The protesters have said that they are ready to travel nearly 500 km (in vehicles) from Tarapur to Jaitapur to demand the complete scrapping of the project.
Prominent environmentalist Vandana Shiva, former minister of sate for home affairs Bhai Vaidya, journalist Praful Bidwai, educationist Anil Sadgopal, ex-Navy chief admiral Vishnu Bhagawat are some of the prominent activists expected to participate in the protest journey.
Meanwhile, the bandh called by Sena in coastal Ratnagiri district to condemn the police firing on protestors in Jaitapur turned violent on Tuesday with a mob ransacking a district hospital and torching buses.
The mob attacked the district hospital and damaged its post-mortem wing in Ratnagiri besides setting on fire some state transport buses and other vehicles, officials said.
With the Opposition sharpening its attack on the ruling Democratic Front government over the proposed 9900 MW Nuclear Power Project in Jaitapur, Leader of Opposition in legislative Assembly Eknath Khadse demanded a judicial probe into Monday's police firing in which one person was killed.
Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said that the DF government will have to pay a 'heavy price' for the police firing.
"It is time for Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to pack up and go home," Thackeray said.
Tavrez Sejkar was on Monday killed in police firing at Sakhrinate village when nearly 600-700 locals, while protesting against the project, attacked the local police station.
The project with six nuclear rectors of 1,600 MW each would be one of the largest N-power projects in the world.
