Tamil Nadu   

Allies kept in the dark on vital issues, says Ramadoss

Special Correspondent

Shocked over Karunanidhi's views on tribunal award

S.Ramadoss

VILLUPURAM: On vital and complicated issues such as the Cauvery, the Palar and the Mullaperiyar dam, the DMK Government should have taken the allies into confidence and adopted a unanimous approach, said S. Ramadoss, founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).

Addressing a press conference at Thailapuram near here on Tuesday, he expressed shock over the views expressed by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on the Cauvery and the Mullaperiyar dam issues (in the special interview given to The Hindu , dated February 12).

The Chief Minister had earlier stated that the final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal carried both favourable and unfavourable features for Tamil Nadu.

In the interview, he observed that the final award offered solace to the State.

Similarly, on the Mullaperiyar dam issue, the Chief Minister had hinted at the possibility of out-of-the court settlement, and it meant resuming negotiations with the Kerala government.

In the Assembly, Mr. Karunanidhi ruled out any further talks with Kerala and also announced that he would move the Supreme Court on this issue. But now, he seemed to have altered his stance.

Differing stand

Dr. Ramadoss said he was at a loss to understand why the Chief Minister should adopt differing stands. In the name of "Kannada Desiyam (Kannada nationalism)," the Kannadigas were claiming full ownership of the Cauvery, and were indulging in agitations against the award.

They had never respected the sentiments of the Tamils. In the name of maintaining good relations, Tamil Nadu should not lose out but establish its rights on the Cauvery through political and legal means.

Dr. Ramadoss said while the Karnataka government issued copies of the final award to the political parties, MPs, MLAs and farmers' representatives, in Tamil Nadu there seemed to be a blackout because the Public Works Department was keeping it a secret.

His demand for circulating the copies at least among the recognised political parties in Tamil Nadu had not evinced any response.

The award drastically cut down the total irrigated area and the total water sources in Tamil Nadu, and it had not approved the kuruvai area expansion after the 1924 agreement. It was not clear how many more adverse clauses were there in the final award.

He wondered what the outcome would be of the likely meeting of the former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, who opposed release of 5 tmcft of water to save the withering kuruvai crop in Tamil Nadu with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Dr. Ramadoss called upon the Karunanidhi government to discuss these issues with the Democratic Progressive Alliance partners and spell out clearly the government stand and not the DMK stand.

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