CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association has strongly condemned Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for criticising the Tamil Nadu government’s opposition to the proposed Mekedatu dam.

In a statement, the association’s general secretary BS Masilamani said the Chief Minister’s remarks in the Karnataka Assembly — questioning why Tamil Nadu opposed the dam despite receiving water annually as per the Supreme Court’s verdict — were misleading and aimed at provoking people against Tamil Nadu.

The association noted that successive Karnataka governments had never released Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in accordance with the monthly schedule mandated by the Supreme Court. The allocation was fixed after detailed technical studies of both States’ requirements, but Karnataka only released water when its own reservoirs were full, often coinciding with the monsoon in Tamil Nadu. This, it said, had resulted in flooding rather than irrigation benefits.

Masilamani pointed out that between June and August this year alone, Karnataka had released 182 tmcft of water in just 81 days, far in excess of the prescribed share. “Having consistently defied the verdict, how can Karnataka now seek trust for building Mekedatu?” he asked.

He added that if the proposed dam came up, even surplus flows to Tamil Nadu would be blocked. The association reiterated that only a neutral management board with control over the reservoirs could ensure fair water distribution.