Chennai: Dairy Development Minister Mano Thangaraj has sparked fresh political chatter by publicly rejecting the “mountain thief” label and describing himself instead as a “nature lover” as the Assembly election season approaches.
In Kanyakumari, incidents over the past five years—including transfers of officials who tried to stop mineral resource plunder and reports of threats—had fuelled allegations that the minister and his son were behind the illegal activity. Thangaraj has consistently denied the claims.
Opposition parties began referring to him as a “mountain thief”, a tag that, according to reports, even became a subject of public mockery when his car passed by.
Amid the pressure, Thangaraj’s social media page has carried a list of actions he says he took to prevent minerals from being transported to Kerala. The posts also claim he reduced the number of quarries in the district from 44 to four, portraying him as a genuine environmentalist.
However, DMK functionaries are said to be startled that, during election time, the minister’s own camp is reviving the mineral-smuggling controversy instead of letting it fade.
