Nothing evokes a nuclear reaction quite as much as the nuclear issue in India. So it is no surprise that highly emotionally-charged responses have surrounded the setting up of the Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu. While the minister of state in the prime minister's office, at the behest of Manmohan Singh, has assured that nothing would be done which would compromise the safety of the people, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has made this a political issue and sought the suspension of work on the plant. The protest against the plant has now been called off. However, the fears of those living around the plant are legitimate.