Anbumani slams TN regime for making 'weak' plea before top court; ally, stakeholders urge caution

CHENNAI: Allies to foes, almost all political parties in the State are urging the DMK government to act swiftly on the Mekedatu row to protect Tamil Nadu against any loss of rights or share of water from the Cauvery.

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has slammed the DMK government for its “miserable failure” in protecting Tamil Nadu’s rights over the Cauvery River in the Supreme Court.

The court rejected Tamil Nadu’s plea to stop the Cauvery Water Management Authority from discussing Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu dam, calling it premature, allowing the Centre to review it. Anbumani accused the DMK of presenting weak arguments before the apex court, leading to Karnataka’s advantage.

He urged the Tamil Nadu government to file a review petition, arguing that the Mekedatu project violates the 2007 Cauvery Tribunal and 2018 Supreme Court verdicts requiring Tamil Nadu’s consent.

M Veerapandian, state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), stated that the Mekedatu dam cannot be built without Tamil Nadu’s consent, as affirmed by the Supreme Court.

Karnataka has been pushing the project for 15 years, which would store 67.16 TMC of water and severely affect Tamil Nadu’s irrigation and drinking water supply, he said. The court directed that Karnataka must seek approval from Tamil Nadu and the Cauvery Water Management Authority before proceeding and warned that any water reduction would amount to contempt, he said.

Tamil Nadu Farmers Association state secretary Saminadarajan said Karnataka’s continued efforts to build a new dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu pose a severe threat to Tamil Nadu’s irrigation rights.

"The top court refused Tamil Nadu’s plea to restrain Karnataka from preparing the project report, instead advising both states to approach the Cauvery Management Board and Union Water Ministry," he said.

The association warned that constructing the dam would violate the Supreme Court’s final Cauvery verdict, which mandates consent from all basin states. It urged the Tamil Nadu government to take decisive legal action, warning that the Cauvery Delta could turn barren if Karnataka is allowed to proceed with the Mekedatu dam project.