CHENNAI: Expressing solidarity with the people of Melur in Madurai district who are protesting against the Centre's approval for Vedanta's Arittapatti tungsten mining project, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday said that the people's protest reflects their lack of trust in MK Stalin-led government, despite the CM writing a letter to the Centre to withdraw the approval.

"There is no trust whatsoever among the people in the CM and the assurances given on his behalf regarding this issue," Palaniswami said in his social media post, tagging the social media handle of MK Stalin. He further said that the AIADMK would fully support the people's protests. He added that the party's functionaries, including MLAs and district-level leaders, would participate in the demonstrations.

Giving due respect to the people's sentiment and the adverse impact on Arittapatti, the State's first biodiversity hotspot, the AIADMK would urge the Centre to revoke the permission granted for the tungsten mining project and demand that the State government take appropriate measures to stop the project.

On Thursday, the CM wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting the withdrawal of the tungsten mining project in the ecologically sensitive region in Madurai. The CM has also asked the PM to instruct the Ministry of Mines to refrain from floating any mining bids without the consent of the Tamil Nadu government.