Congress Lok Sabha member from Dindigul N.S.V. Chithan said a delegation of party MPs from the State would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday to highlight the situation in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which are party to the Mullaperiyar row, and urge him to convene a meeting of Chief Ministers of the two States to sort out the issue amicably.
Earlier, they met Defence Minister A. K. Antony and urged him to use his good offices with Dr. Singh to sort out the issue and cool the tempers in Kerala. Among others M. Krishnaswamy (Arani), Manicka Tagore (Virudhunagar), P. Viswanathan (Kancheepuram) and J.M. Aaroon Rasheed (Theni) were present.
The Congress MPs told Mr. Antony that Kerala should wait for the Supreme Court order on the Mullaperiyar issue before taking any hasty step.
An all-party delegation of Kerala, consisting of among others, Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy and former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthananthan, would meet Dr. Singh on Wednesday here to urge him to immediately intervene in the row.
The delegation would urge Dr. Singh to give his nod for decommissioning the existing Mullaperiyar dam which had become “weak.”
Sources said Dr. Singh gave his appointment to the Kerala delegation after Mr. Antony and Minister of State for Food Prof. K.V. Thomas (both from Kerala) met him here on Monday and apprised him of the situation in both the States.
They highlighted the need for the Centre to take some urgent steps immediately to resolve the row.
