Anti-nuke activist Udayakumar declares personal assets to public

S P Udayakumar   |   Kudankulam

09-March-2012

Vol 3 | Issue 10

S P Udayakumar, the convener of People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which is spearheading the struggle against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, responds to allegations that foreign agencies are funding their struggle and discloses his assets and savings to the public.

The Central Government of India does not want to acknowledge the simple fact that even “ordinary citizens” of India have a mind of their own, and that they can take a stand on policy issues and “development” projects that affect their lives and livelihood.

Udayakumar contends that the anti-nuclear plant agitation in Kudankulam is a genuine people’s movement (Photo: Kebiston Fernando)

Instead, the Honorable Prime Minister and some of the ministers in the Government of India have been accusing us of receiving money from some NGOs in the United States and Scandinavian countries, and collaborating with foreigners and so forth.

The GoI even detained a foreign tourist from Germany at Nagercoil recently and deported him without proving anything. He has been talking to the Indian Press saying that he has had nothing to do with funding any anti-nuclear activities in India.

A few local NGOs in Tamil Nadu belonging to Christian institutions and Christian individuals have been blacklisted, scrutinized and harassed recently. All of them have rightly denied that they have had nothing to do with our struggle.

It is pertinent to note that this Government has opened up not just our economy but the whole country to all the foreigners - their MNCs and FDI etc.

They even tried recently to hand over all the retail businesses to foreigners at the cost of millions of Indian families. When the whole country opposed the move valiantly, they have just put it on hold. And it is this government that is accusing us of having foreign collaboration and foreign money connections.

The Russian and American diplomats are all interfering in our internal affairs now freely and expressing opinions, especially about foreign funding.

The Honorable Russian Ambassador should explain to Indians why his country and his country’s companies do not want to give any liability whatsoever for the Koodankulam reactors.

If they are the best and the most perfect in the whole wide world, why can’t Russia offer the maximum and unlimited liability for the Koodankulam reactors? Why do they hide behind the secret IGA (Inter-Governmental Agreement) they signed with the Government of India in 2008?

If the United States is so earnest in all its business dealings, why do they keep pressurizing the Indian politicians and bureaucrats to water down the Indian liability act?

As the Coordinator of this genuine, spontaneous and truthful struggle of the “ordinary citizens” of India, I would like to clarify that we have not received any money from any Indian or international NGO or business house, or political party.

Our activities are funded exclusively by the voluntary contributions of our fishermen, farmers, shopkeepers, workers and beedi-rolling women.

People who come to our protests/activities arrange their own transportations. We, the organizers of the relay hunger strike, offer nothing more than safe drinking water.

The Koodankulam people have offered rice porridge or a simple vegetarian meal on a couple of occasions (when we laid a siege) from their own contributions. We do not offer any daily wages, or food, or alcohol or pocket money to the participants as some Indian political parties often do in their party events.

Obviously, these money-minded politicians cannot fathom the spontaneous, powerful and revolutionary uprising of the “ordinary citizens” of India.

As the Coordinator of the ongoing struggle, I would like to establish the fact that I have not solicited or received or handled any money from anybody for this struggle.

To prove this point, I am giving below my own and my family’s income details, properties, bank accounts and loans.

[A] INCOME

My wife and I depend on agricultural income from our lands, and occasional speaking and teaching fees, researching and writing fees. We both have PAN numbers, audit our personal accounts annually, and pay income taxes.

[B] PROPERTIES

Inherited

From Father: 5 cents land and house Nagercoil Village, Kanyakumari District

From Mother: 7.5 cents land and house Nagercoil Village, Kanyakumari District

14 cents land paddy field Thiruppathisaram Village, Kanyakumari District

Purchased (Date of Purchase, area, location)

26.03.1994 10 cents land Nagercoil Village, Kanyakumari District

21.12.1994 to 30.03.2000 3.76. acres Neendakarai Village, Kanyakumari District (10 pieces)

01.07.1998 to 23.03.1999 8.435 acres Azhagiapandiapuram Village, Kanyakumari District (4 pieces)

9.9.2005 7.5 cents land and house Nagercoil Village, Kanyakumari District

02.05. 2008 91 cents Azhagiapandiapuram Village, Kanyakumari District (2 pieces)

[C] BANK ACCOUNTS

(Bank Name, Branch, A/C NO., Balance as recorded the last time)

My a/c

State Bank of India (SBI), Nagercoil HO, a/c 10843375998, Rs.4953.84

Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB), Edalakudy, a/c 92100050084848, Rs.1703.05

Wife's (Meera Udayakumar) a/c

SBI, Nagercoil HO, a/c 10843378900, Rs.1380.72

TMB, Edalakudy, a/c 92100050303549, Rs.309.00

Canara Bank, Kottar, a/c 1111101027576, Rs.2331.00

SACCER Trust a/c

SBI, Kottar, a/c 10663109330, Rs.5716.07

SACCER Matriculation School a/c

Indian Bank, Meenakshipuram, a/c 460443812, Rs.12632.00

[The SACCER Trust runs the SACCER Matriculation School; does not have an FCRA registration; accepts legal donations from local individuals and institutions; audits the accounts annually. The school owns two vans.]

Father's (S. Paramarthalingom) a/c: TMB, Edalakudy, a/c 92100050018652, Rs.714.19

Mother's (S. Ponmony) a/c: SBI, Nagercoil HO, a/c 10843329464, Rs.35566.26

[D] JEWEL LOANS

(Bank, Name of the person, Loan amount, Due Date)

TMB, S.P. Udayakumar, Rs. 1,06,000, Due Date 30.3.12

Canara Bank, Meera Udayakumar, Rs. 98,000, Due Date 15.4.12

TMB, Meera Udayakumar, Rs. 1,05,000, Due Date 23.4.12

TMB, Meera Udayakumar, Rs. 1,20,000, Due Date 6.5.12

TMB, S. P. Udayakumar, Rs. 98,000, Due Date 8.6.12

TMB, S. Paramarthalingom, Rs. 70,000, Due Date 25.10.12

Loan Against Deposits

Indian Bank, Meenakshipuram, Rs. 50,000, Due Date 22.12.2015

(Deposit Amount Rs.1,20,000)

A team of 20 individuals from Idinthakarai village handles the donations we receive for the struggle and they keep accounts of what they receive and spend. They have recently issued the accounts to the press.