Chennai, The CPI-M Tamil Nadu unit on Wednesday slammed the Centre over a union minister’s statement in the Rajya Sabha that Karnataka does not require riparian states’ consent to construct the Mekedatu dam, calling it a “betrayal”.
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Claiming that Karnataka government has never released Tamil Nadu’s monthly quota of water as stipulated by the Cauvery Tribunal’s decision and the Supreme Court’s final verdict on the inter-state river dispute, he said “instead, it has consistently treated Tamil Nadu merely as a drainage basin to flush out excess water during times of torrential downpour”.
“Under these circumstances, constructing the Mekedatu dam poses an undeniable risk of denying Tamil Nadu its rightful water share, threatening to turn the region into a desert”, he said, adding “this will severely affect drinking water supply and irrigation across the state”.
“We draw attention to the fact that the Supreme Court did not re-examine all aspects of the Cauvery Tribunal’s order, but specifically considered and adjudicated on Karnataka’s plea regarding the quantum of water sharing and therefore, the state executive committee of the CPI-M urges the Union Government to take immediate steps to withdraw the Minister of State’s statement made in Parliament regarding inter-state river water disputes,” the party said.
Shanmugam also said that the CPI-M also demands that the Centre take appropriate action to protect the rights of lower-riparian states, including Tamil Nadu.
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Terming the statement a “betrayal of the state’s agricultural interests”, the party demanded its immediate retraction and also announced a massive protest across the Cauvery Delta districts on August 2.
“We strongly condemn the minister’s statement. The reply has sent shockwaves among farmers and the public across Tamil Nadu” CPI-M State Secretary P Shanmugam told PTI.
Stating that it is an internationally accepted norm that upper-riparian states cannot unilaterally take decisions on disputes involving inter-state rivers, the Marxist leader said “the Union Minister of State is not unaware of this principle”.
