An all-party meeting convened under the leadership of DMK president M.K. Stalin at Anna Arivalayam on Thursday urged the government to hold a special session of the Legislative Assembly to oppose Karnataka’s proposal for constructing a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu.
The parties have decided to conduct an agitation in Tiruchi on December 4 to urge the BJP government at the Centre to withdraw the Central Water Commission’s direction to Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on the proposed reservoir.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Su. Thirunavukkarasar, MDMK founder Vaiko, CPI (M) State secretary K. Balakrishnan, CPI State secretary R. Mutharasan, IUML leader K.A.M. Muhammed Abubacker, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, Dravidar Kazhagam general secretary V. Anburaj and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi general secretary Abdul Samad were among the delegates who attended the meeting at the DMK headquarters.
The meeting condemned the Narendra Modi government for having given permission for the DPR, saying the dam project would pose great danger to the already diminishing agriculture in the delta districts in Tamil Nadu.
Besides, it would multiply the hardships faced by womenfolk who have to walk long distances to fetch drinking water.
‘Challenge to livelihood’
The meeting charged that the ruling party was giving up the rights of the State to the Centre and the neighbouring States, and thus posed a challenge to the livelihood of farmers and the general public.
“Even though the Chief Minister and the Ministers have been meeting the Prime Minister and Central Ministers contending that they were maintaining cordial ties only for the State’s development, it [State government] was not able to stop the Centre from granting its permission to the project at Mekedatu,” one of the resolutions pointed out.
The meeting underlined that the project would pose a threat to the ties between the two neighbouring States as well as to the principle of federalism.
Granting permission for the project was an act against the interests of Tamil Nadu, the meeting observed.
The delegates observed a two-minute silence in memory of those killed in Cyclone Gaja.
