The Centre should give up its habit of delaying decisions and decide quickly on the Mullaperiyar dam issue to prevent Tamils' blood being spilled on the streets, DMK president M. Karunanidhi said on Monday.
Addressing DMK workers who observed a fast at the party headquarters, Mr. Karunanidhi said that the Centre should not remain an onlooker and should realise the dangers of the situation deteriorating with adverse consequences.
Stressing that Tamils will not tolerate the conspiracy hatched in Kerala to convert Tamil Nadu into a Sahara desert, he said no fool would accept a situation leading to the destruction of his country and the future generations.
“People from Kerala move freely in Tamil Nadu. They should continue to enjoy this freedom and we have no objection to it. But, Tamils in Kerala should also enjoy similar freedom,” he said reiterating that Kerala was also part of ancient Tamil Nadu and should continue with the feeling that all are Indians.
Accusing the Kerala government of spreading obnoxious and false propaganda through the media that the dam was weak and unfit for increasing the water level, he said the Supreme Court had given a ruling in favour of raising the water level from 136 feet to 142 feet in 2006 itself.
“But the Kerala government enacted a new legislation in the Assembly to nullify the order. We don't know whether it was the Assembly or a body inferior even to a village panchayat to so bend rules to suit one's whims and fancies.”
He said though the Kerala Assembly adopted a resolution in favour of retaining the water level at 136 feet, now the state wanted to reduce the level further to 120 feet.
“Generally there is an opinion that Keralites are intelligent and talented people. But they are talking in terms of further reducing the water level. Whom do they want to cheat? Not just Tamils, but also the people of the country and those who want India to remain united, should think about it.”
Recalling how he and former Chief Minister of Kerala E.M.S. Namboothiripad were able to reach an agreement on sharing the river water in 1969, he said that it could not have been possible if he and E.M.S. had in their mind only interests of their respective states. Earlier, DMK general secretary K. Anbazhagan inaugurated the fast.
Party's treasurer M.K. Stalin led the fast at Tambaram. He said that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa convened a special session of the Assembly on the Mullaperiyar issue on December 15 after the DMK announced its decision to hold human chain protests in five districts on the same day. The human chain protest has been advanced to December 14.
