Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri said on Tuesday that BJP State president K. Annamalai hung onto a ‘single word’ uttered by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister D. K. Shivakumar about the construction of a checkdam at Mekedatu. He said the DMK, the Congress and the law itself would never allow the construction of such a dam.
In a statement, he said Mr. Annamalai was passing unnecessary remarks such as “not allowing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to return” if he attended the meeting of Opposition parties in Bengaluru.
“Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan has made a strong statement against the comments of the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister. He has said the construction of a checkdam at Mekedatu would not be allowed under any circumstances. However, Mr. Annamalai is giving more importance to Mr. Shivakumar’s remarks than the statement of our own Minister for Water Resources,” he said.
Mr. Alagiri criticised Mr. Annamalai’s statement that he would not allow Mr. Stalin to return to Tamil Nadu. “Mr. Stalin is Tamil Nadu’s representative. Who is Mr. Annamalai to say that he won’t allow Mr. Stalin to return,” he asked.
The Congress leader pointed out that it was the former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, of the BJP, who got approval from the Central government for the draft plan to build the checkdam. “Tradition and law state that any such plan cannot be approved without the consent of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. But the Centre gave approval and betrayed Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The previous AIADMK government kept mum, while the DMK and the Congress opposed the plan then,” Mr. Alagiri said, adding Mr. Annamalai could not play a saviour.
Mr. Alagiri said the Supreme Court had laid down guidelines on how much water should be released during monsoon and periods of drought and how water storage in tanks was illegal. No one could flout these guidelines.
