Russia backs PM's 'foreign hand' remark

Russia, a partner in Kudankulam nuclear plant project, supported Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that three NGOs opposing the project in Tamil Nadu, have been found to have used foreign funds. Kudankulam protests | The nuked plant | Watch Video

Russia, a partner in Kudankulam nuclear plant project, supported Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that three NGOs opposing the project in Tamil Nadu, have been found to have used foreign funds.

According to reports, Russian ambassador to India Alexander M Kadakin said that Russia stands vindicated as they had been suspecting it all along because it was very strange that six months after Fukushima tragedy, all of a sudden the NGOs raised their voice against the most secure and the best station in the world.

Minister of state in the prime minister's office V Narayanasamy said on Friday the three NGOs' licences had been cancelled, although he did not divulge the names of the organisations.

The Kudankulam power station in Tamil Nadu was slated to be commissioned last year, but work on the project had to be halted over local protests on safety grounds.

The minister said a home ministry probe was started after reports that some NGOs were spending money received from the United States and the Scandinavian countries on the agitation.

"When the protests were growing, we decided to see who was funding them."

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(With inputs from HT correspondent)