Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K.S. Alagiri on Friday questioned why BJP State president K. Annamalai did not raise his voice against the previous BJP government in Karnataka, which set aside ₹1,000 crore in 2022-23 Budget to prepare the project report for the construction of the Mekedatu dam.
His poser came against Mr. Annamalai’s statement that he would stop the construction of the checkdam across the Cauvery river in Mekedatu after Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, of the Congress, issued a statement that the dam would be built.
Mr. Alagiri pointed out that former Karnataka Chief Ministers B. S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, were also fiercely pushing for the construction of the dam while in power.
In a statement, Mr. Alagiri said, “Now Mr. Annamalai says that he will stop the check dam from being constructed after being a mute spectator when the BJP government said the same. What is this if not political opportunism?”
Mr. Alagiri said the Central Water Commission had directed the Karnataka government to prepare a detailed report regarding building a checkdam in Mekedatu in 2017 and it accepted the report prepared by the Karnataka government in 2018 at a policy level.
“This evoked a strong response from Tamil Nadu and the State government passed a resolution in the Assembly. A contempt of court case was filed against Karnataka in the Supreme Court. Can Annamalai refute the fact that the Central government took the decision to support the Karnataka government with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections?”questioned Mr. Alagiri.
He said the TNCC would fiercely oppose the construction of the checkdam as it goes against the rulings of the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
Mr. Alagiri said that the construction of the checkdam to store 60 tmc ft water would affect the Cauvery Delta farmers.
“In Karnataka, all political parties speak in one voice when it comes to the Mekedatu dam issue. Will Mr. Annamalai criticise the BJP which supports the construction of the checkdam? As far as the TNCC is concerned, it will support the Tamil Nadu government’s efforts, irrespective of which party is in power, to protect the State’s interests,” he said.
