TN Congress urges Karnataka to stop politicising Cauvery water issue
Tamil Nadu Congress leaders have opposed Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's push for the Mekedatu dam project.
The Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee (TNCC) on Saturday urged Karnataka to stop politicising the Cauvery water issue following requests by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for permission to build the Mekedatu dam. According to reports from Deccan Herald, TNCC president Manickam Tagore described the request as painful.
Tagore, who is also the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, asked the Prime Minister to intervene and prevent the project. He stated that the dam could turn the fertile Cauvery Delta in Tamil Nadu into a desert. He added that while Bengaluru requires water, the Mekedatu project is not the solution and Tamil Nadu's rights must be protected.
The proposed dam has a capacity of 67.15 TMC and is planned just 4 kilometres above Biligundulu. Rediff reported that Tagore claimed the construction would block 80 TMC of unregulated catchment rainwater that Tamil Nadu is legally entitled to receive. He alleged the move violates the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and Supreme Court verdicts.
Congress MP S Jothimani also opposed the project, stating that the people of Tamil Nadu will not surrender their rights to the river. She noted that judicial frameworks already regulate water distribution between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Puducherry. Jothimani questioned whether the Karnataka government had respected previous court orders.
In response, Chief Minister Shivakumar asserted that the project is a state right and that Karnataka will not back down. He suggested that Tamil Nadu send a delegation to Karnataka so he could explain the potential benefits of the project. He also dismissed the opposition as being politically motivated.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is expected to seek an appointment with the Prime Minister next week. Vijay is scheduled to be in New Delhi on November 16.
