AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday strongly opposed the Congress Government in Karnataka attempting to construct a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu. He also criticised the DMK Government for not having allegedly expressed opposition to the Karnataka Government on the issue.
In a statement, he warned that the AIADMK would stage protests to ensure that Tamil Nadu did not turn into a desert, referring to a letter from Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking permission for the proposal to construct the dam across the Cauvery.
Rejecting Karnataka’s claims, Mr. Palaniswami asserted that the Tamil Nadu Government was only using the water reaching Billigundlu as per the Supreme Court judgment for the implementation of Phase II of the Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project. “Karnataka has no right whatsoever to find fault with Tamil Nadu, which is only implementing drinking water programmes with the water it is receiving.”
