THANJAVUR
With just little over two weeks left for the electorate in Tamil Nadu to decide who should they vote for, a prime inter-State issue — Karnataka’s plan to build a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu — is yet to get highlighted in the campaign at least in the region where the Cauvery is the lifeline for the people living in around dozen districts in the State.
Till last Parliamentary elections, the Cauvery issue remained a major poll plank with each coalition assuring an outcome in favour of Tamil Nadu.
But this time, with the upper riparian State raking up a fresh controversy by expressing its intent to construct a dam across the river at Mekedatu falling under its domain, the issue, which ought to have taken centre stage in the Parliamentary election campaign in Tamil Nadu, seem to have been given a decent burial.
“The current trend of Parliamentary election campaign in Tamil Nadu gives the impression that a chance to create a public opinion over Mekedatu issue has been let off by major political forces,” says Mannargudi S.Ranganathan, general secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association.
Instead, insipid issues have been raked up by the top leadership of the two regional parties that lead the coalitions in Tamil Nadu.
The Secular Democratic Front constituents keenness on making the fight against an individual, Narendra Modi, as their main poll plank is to the advantage of their prime opponent, the AIADMK-led National Democratic Front, as it allows the latter to carry on with a non-committal stand on the Mekedatu issue.
The subjects on which the debate put forth by both the party leadership gives an impression that as of now the Mekedatu issue is being deliberately allowed to sink into oblivion even though both the DMK and AIADMK have not forgotten to mention their stand with respect to Mekedatu issue in their election manifestos.
Political parties, which have mentioned their stand on this issue in the manifesto, should have also made it a poll plank so as to explain why the Mekedatu project was opposed by the government and the ryots of Tamil Nadu, felt activists.
