Stir against unilateral Centre on August 2: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam

CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam has criticised the Union government over its response in the Rajya Sabha that Tamil Nadu's consent is not required for Karnataka to construct the proposed Mekedatu dam, and announced protests across the Cauvery delta districts on August 2.

Shanmugam said the reply given by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary had come as a shock to farmers and the people of Tamil Nadu. He said PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss need not have raised such a question in Parliament at a time when all efforts should be focused on safeguarding Tamil Nadu's irrigation rights and opposing Karnataka's attempts to build the Mekedatu dam.

Shanmugam said it is an internationally accepted principle that upper riparian States cannot take unilateral decisions on disputes involving inter-State rivers. He alleged that the Union minister was well aware of this principle and accused the BJP-led Union government of continuing to act against Tamil Nadu's interests by giving such a reply in Parliament without considering its consequences.

The CPM leader alleged that Karnataka had failed to release Tamil Nadu's due share of Cauvery water every month as mandated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and the Supreme Court's final judgment. Instead, he claimed, Tamil Nadu had been treated merely as a drainage outlet for surplus water released by Karnataka during periods of heavy rainfall.

He warned that construction of the Mekedatu dam could deprive Tamil Nadu of its rightful share of Cauvery water, posing a serious threat to irrigation and drinking water supplies and potentially turning fertile regions into arid land.

Shanmugam further said the Supreme Court had not examined every aspect of the Cauvery Tribunal's award and had confined its judgment mainly to Karnataka's plea on water sharing. He urged the Union government to withdraw the minister's reply in Parliament and take steps to protect the rights of lower riparian States, including Tamil Nadu.