Sterlite Copper’s attempt to re-enter Thoothukudi must be blocked by T.N. govt.: Vaiko

Vaiko urges Tamil Nadu government to block Sterlite Copper's re-entry, citing environmental concerns and public safety risks.

Sterlite Copper is attempting to re-enter Thoothukudi under the guise of a ‘Green Copper’ model, but such proposals should be blocked in the initial stages itself, said Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko in Madurai on Thursday (February 19, 2026).

Speaking to the media, he said that the Vedanta group had announced the new proposal claiming it would have a lower carbon footprint. “Such a proposal would create apprehensions again, and the public may be victim to hazardous pollution,” he charged.

The State government should direct the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) authorities not to entertain any such application and reject it forthright, Mr. Vaiko said, and appealed to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to take stern action in the larger interest of the public.

The MDMK, he said, had struggled against the corporation for over two decades, and this resulted in the closure of the copper smelter unit in the ‘pearl city’. “The party would stand by the people and fight tooth and nail against the industry,” he asserted.

With the Tamil Nadu Assembly election fast approaching, he said the DMK-led front would register a landslide victory. “There would be no need for a coalition government. The DMK will form a government on its own,” he reiterated.

To a query on Congress MP Manickam Tagore’s repeated insistence on power sharing, Mr. Vaiko said a coalition system would not suit the Tamil Nadu soil. The alliance led by the DMK was intact, he said, while welcoming the DMDK into the bloc.