Chennai, November 15 (Yes Punjab News)
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay to raise the Cauvery water dispute with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during his Delhi visit on Monday and seek their intervention against Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam.
In a post on X, Palaniswami criticised Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s repeated assertions that Karnataka had the right to build the dam without seeking anyone’s permission. He said such statements could create divisions between the people of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Palaniswami said successive AIADMK governments had pursued legal battles to protect Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water, leading to the Supreme Court’s verdict and the establishment of mechanisms to monitor water sharing and ensure the release of the state’s monthly allocation.
Citing the Supreme Court’s observation that inter-state rivers were national assets and no state could claim exclusive rights over them, he argued that Karnataka could not undertake construction affecting downstream states without their consent.
He alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka had neither respected the Supreme Court verdict nor complied with directions on water releases over the past six months.
Rejecting Shivakumar’s argument that the Mekedatu project was necessary to ensure Tamil Nadu received its stipulated share, Palaniswami claimed that water reaching the Mettur reservoir largely consisted of surplus flows discharged when Karnataka’s reservoirs were full, along with rainwater from catchment areas beyond those reservoirs. He alleged that Karnataka was not releasing water according to the monthly schedule.
Warning that the proposed dam could obstruct flows vital to Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said the Cauvery sustained agriculture in the delta region and supplied drinking water to people across 20 districts.
He also accused the Vijay government of failing to secure Tamil Nadu’s water allocation through legal measures since taking office, claiming that the shortfall had affected Kuruvai and Samba cultivation.
Palaniswami warned that the project could turn delta districts into a desert and jeopardise drinking water supplies. He urged Vijay to take up the issue with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress president, citing the Congress’ alliance with the ruling government in Tamil Nadu.
He sought their intervention to restrain Karnataka’s assertions and ensure compliance with directions governing Cauvery water releases.
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