Chennai: Contending that the DMK supported the TN Assembly resolution on Mekedatu as the issue related to the livelihood of the people of Tamil Nadu, DMK president MK Stalin said the resolution should have condemned the Centre and not stop by condemning the Central Water Commission (CWC) so as to make it “full-fledged.”
“We requested (the State government) that the resolution should condemn the Central government too and not just the CWC, which gave its nod to Karnataka to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Mekedatu project. As of now, the resolution urges the Centre to intervene. I expressed my opinion that if the resolution had to be a full-fledged condemnation, and be much more effective, it should condemn the Centre also. But my request was not accepted,” Mr. Stalin, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said.
Nevertheless, the DMK had supported the resolution, rising above politics and differences in party ideologies, as it concerned the livelihood issue of the delta farmers, he told reporters after participating in the special session of the Assembly on Mekedatu. The DMK president said he had wanted the Assembly session to extend to tomorrow to discuss about issues pertaining to distribution of funds and release of funds by the centre for the cyclone Gaja-affected.
“But this was also not accepted by the government or Assembly Speaker. We strongly condemn this stand of the government,” he said.
On Thursday evening, the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution urging the Union Water Resources Ministry to direct the CWC to withdraw the permission given to Karnataka for preparing a DPR for its proposed dam at Mekedattu.
The nearly two-hour long special sitting witnessed some noisy scenes when the Treasury benches and the DMK sparred after the latter's deputy leader Durai Murugan said the contribution of their late leader M. Karunanidhi did not find a mention in CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s reply to the discussion. Speaker P. Dhanapal allowed the resolution for voting and it was unanimously adopted by a voice vote.
Earlier, Mr. Stalin said the State should have obtained an injunction against building a dam at Mekedatu from the Supreme Court and sought to know why the AIADMK government did not press for appointment of a full-time head for CMB. Presently, the Union Water Resources Minister is also the head of the CMB, he said.
The DMK leader said as head of the ministry he had accorded sanction but as the CMB chief the same person had said a dam cannot be built without the nod of the board.
Congress Legislature Party leader K. R. Ramasamy who said his party supported the resolution in the interest of farmers, slammed the BJP government at the Centre for giving the nod to Karnataka. AMMK leader T. T. V. Dhinakaran and IUML too supported the resolution.
