The Communist Party of India (CPI) State Secretary R. Mutharasan on Sunday said that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar, who holds the irrigation portfolio, should speak responsibly on the proposed dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu.
Speaking to mediapersons at CPI’s district conference here, Mr. Mutharasan said if the neighbouring State went ahead with the dam project, then the party would bring all political parties, including the DMK and its arch rival AIADMK, on a common platform to oppose it.
“Karnataka cannot construct the dam without the consent of the Centre and Tamil Nadu government. However, if Karnataka goes ahead with its plan, all political parties in Tamil Nadu will jointly organise protests against it,” he said.
Further he said that Karnataka should first adhere to the 2018 order of the three-judge bench of the Supreme Court that ordered it to release 177.25 tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu rather than raising the Mekedatu issue. He condemned the attempt to build the dam and said the final verdict in the Cauvery disputes was clear that no construction should be taken up across the Cauvery river without the approval of Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.
Taking a dig on Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, the CPI leader said the Governor should perform his constitutional role in the State. “Instead, he gets involved in other issues that do not come under his purview. It is high time that the Centre recalls the Governor immediately,” he said.
