New Delhi: Days after spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev supported controversial Sterlite Copper unit in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin, yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Tuesday said “international conspirators” hindered operations at the plant.

“International conspirators created ruckus at one of Vedanta’s plant in South of India through innocent local people. Industries are the temples of development for the nation. They should not be closed,” Ramdev tweeted after meeting Vedanta group chairman Anil Agarwal, the operator of Sterlite Copper plant.

Ramdev praised Agarwal for creating lakhs of jobs in the country.

“I met Anil Agarwal ji during my London visit. I salute his contribution in the national building process by creating lakhs of jobs and economic prosperity he said,” he added.

Earlier, spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev had said that India being a developing nation needed industries like Sterlite Copper.

“There still are people who have not seen a light bulb. The issue of pollution caused by the plant can be dealt with but closing the plant would not help,” he had said last week.

Last month, 12 people were killed in police action while protesting the setting up of the plant. Tamil Nadu government sealed the plant and closed it down “permanently”.

After a sulphuric acid leak was detected at the plant in Tuticorin, a top district official on Monday had said that 1,300 tonnes of the liquid had been removed as yet from the premises.

“So far 1,300 tonnes of sulphuric acid have been removed in 75 tankers,” District Collector Sandeep Nanduri told media.

On June 17, authorities had said leak of sulphuric acid was detected at the Sterlite’s copper plant, triggering fear among residents.

Ever since Sterlite Copper started operations, it faced various cases from environmentalists who alleged that the smelter was a major source of pollution.

In 2013, National Green Tribunal shutdown the operations in Tuticorin for over two months after residents complained of emissions that led to breathing problems.

Sterlite Copper is a unit of Vedanta Limited formerly known as Sesa Sterlite Limited/Sesa Goa Limited.