'Religious groups should'nt incite anti-nuke protesters'

Union Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday said it is the responsibility of the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to allay fears of locals over the Koodankulam nuclear power plant and asked religious groups not to instigate anti-nuclear protesters.

Referring to the clash between activists of Hindu Munnani and protesters at the fourth round of talks early this week, the minister of state in PMO said, "People rang church bells and invited others to the spot. This is highly regrettable".

"Religious groups should not indulge in such activities," he told reporters at the airport en route to Tiruneveli, where Congress will hold a public meeting today to explain the safety aspects of the project and drum up support for early commissioning of the nuclear plant.

Defending Home Minister P Chidambaram on his alleged involvement in the 2G scam, Narayanasamy said if at all somebody should be blamed, then it should be the NDA government as it had formulated the policy.

"There is no case of criminality or corruption against Chidambaram. Subramanian Swamy is trying to tarnish the image of Chidambaram. I strongly condemn it," he said.