Chennai, May 27 (IANS) Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the DMK and AIADMK leadership over the ongoing Mekedatu dam controversy, questioning the silence of Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Karnataka’s proposed project across the Cauvery River.

The Congress leader strongly backed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the immediate rejection of the Mekedatu reservoir project, stating that the issue concerns Tamil Nadu’s water rights and the livelihood of lakhs of farmers dependent on Cauvery water.

In a post on his X page, Tagore questioned why Udhayanidhi Stalin had remained silent despite the seriousness of the issue.

He said Chief Minister Vijay had directly written to the Prime Minister and taken a firm stand to protect Tamil Nadu’s interests, while accusing opposition leaders of failing to raise the matter strongly before the Centre.

Tagore also criticised AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, asking why he and the party leadership were not directly confronting the Union government over the issue.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi must immediately reject the Mekedatu proposal and protect Tamil Nadu’s rightful share of Cauvery water,” Tagore said.

The Congress MP stated that CM Vijay’s letter clearly pointed out that the proposed project violates both the Supreme Court judgment and the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. He added that the project would severely affect the interests of farmers in Tamil Nadu. “This is not a political issue. This is about our water, our farmers and Tamil Nadu’s rights. No project should come up across the Cauvery without Tamil Nadu’s consent,” Tagore said, while extending full support to Vijay’s stand.

The Mekedatu issue has once again intensified tensions between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar recently reiterated that the Congress government in Karnataka intends to move forward with the long-pending project and conduct a “Bhoomi Pooja” for the proposed dam.

Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the project, arguing that any new reservoir upstream could reduce the state’s share of Cauvery water and violate the existing water-sharing framework finalised through decades of legal battles and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Amid the escalating political row, Chief Minister Vijay is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior Congress leaders in New Delhi on Wednesday, where the Mekedatu issue is likely to figure prominently in discussions.

–IANS

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