Coimbatore, Dec. 19
"Whatever be the tactics deployed, we will tirelessly fight till every inch of that 44 acres belonging to our tribal people is retrieved from Isha Foundation", said P. Muthammal, President of Vellingiri Hill Tribal Protection Society.
Mrs. Muthammal, along with political outfits and social activists, has been fighting against Isha Foundation here for allegedly encroaching 44 acres of tribal land. To commemorate their one year of struggle and their legal war against Jaggi Vasudev, the Founder of Isha Foundation, the parties had arranged for a meet in a private hall here today which was called off at the last minute.
Later the parties called for a press meet at the Coimbatore press club to explain their stance with regard to the 'forcefully' cancelled meet.
K. Ramakrishnan, General Secretary of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, stated that "The mammoth expansion of Isha Foundation, over the years has certainly obstructed the elephant corridor of the region. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the flora and fauna of the region. But what is happening here is diametrically opposite."
Commenting on the issue, Kolathur Mani, Founder of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, said "Government's involvement in cancelling a private event is highly reprehensible and completely against the Constitution".
"Jaggi Vasudev has been bamboozling people by projecting inflated figures about his much-talked about tree conservation campaigns. In an interview with a media house, he had said that he had planted 9 lakh trees in Salem, 64 lakh trees in Velliangiri foothills and close to 10 lakh trees inside Isha campus. It really makes me wonder that if so many trees were planted in the said regions, then by now they would have transformed into unbelievably serene places. But in reality, nothing significant has been done apart from showcasing inflated figures for publicity", slammed Piyush Manush, a social activist.
Professor Jayaraman questioned,"why will a spiritual guru acquire so much land? The fact is, Jaggi Vasudev is not a spiritual guru but a businessman who glorifies himself as a saint".
"Among several gimmicks orchestrated by him, the 'rally for rivers' is the recent one. While, Jaagi Vasudev has proposed the intent to rejuvenate and link all the national rivers, he has not bothered to mention the names of the persons who are going to fund this gigantic multi-crore project. And, the government is also quiet about the funding part", he criticized.
Several social activists and representatives of supporting political outfits were present.
"Whatever be the tactics deployed, we will tirelessly fight till every inch of that 44 acres belonging to our tribal people is retrieved from Isha Foundation", said P. Muthammal, President of Vellingiri Hill Tribal Protection Society.
Mrs. Muthammal, along with political outfits and social activists, has been fighting against Isha Foundation here for allegedly encroaching 44 acres of tribal land. To commemorate their one year of struggle and their legal war against Jaggi Vasudev, the Founder of Isha Foundation, the parties had arranged for a meet in a private hall here today which was called off at the last minute.
Later the parties called for a press meet at the Coimbatore press club to explain their stance with regard to the 'forcefully' cancelled meet.
K. Ramakrishnan, General Secretary of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, stated that "The mammoth expansion of Isha Foundation, over the years has certainly obstructed the elephant corridor of the region. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the flora and fauna of the region. But what is happening here is diametrically opposite."
Commenting on the issue, Kolathur Mani, Founder of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, said "Government's involvement in cancelling a private event is highly reprehensible and completely against the Constitution".
"Jaggi Vasudev has been bamboozling people by projecting inflated figures about his much-talked about tree conservation campaigns. In an interview with a media house, he had said that he had planted 9 lakh trees in Salem, 64 lakh trees in Velliangiri foothills and close to 10 lakh trees inside Isha campus. It really makes me wonder that if so many trees were planted in the said regions, then by now they would have transformed into unbelievably serene places. But in reality, nothing significant has been done apart from showcasing inflated figures for publicity", slammed Piyush Manush, a social activist.
Professor Jayaraman questioned,"why will a spiritual guru acquire so much land? The fact is, Jaggi Vasudev is not a spiritual guru but a businessman who glorifies himself as a saint".
"Among several gimmicks orchestrated by him, the 'rally for rivers' is the recent one. While, Jaagi Vasudev has proposed the intent to rejuvenate and link all the national rivers, he has not bothered to mention the names of the persons who are going to fund this gigantic multi-crore project. And, the government is also quiet about the funding part", he criticized.
Several social activists and representatives of supporting political outfits were present.