Chennai: Hours after the legislative assembly passed a unanimous resolution against the Mekedatu dam, AIADMK and CPI-affiliated Tamil Nadu Farmers Association have opposed the amended version of the govt resolution, which calls for a tribunal to resolve the inter-state river water dispute. Sources said Tamil Nadu govt sent the copy of resolution to the Union govt on Friday evening itself.AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami issued a statement on Friday night saying his party supported the resolution moved by chief minister C Joseph Vijay, but not the amended version. He said the amendment introduced following leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin’s demand for a tribunal, was put to vote without being proposed, seconded or discussed. “The Speaker declaring that the amended resolution was passed is a violation of Assembly rules. The amended resolution cannot be considered a govt resolution. Whom is this resolution meant to please? Whom is it meant to betray,” asked the former CM.Speaking on the resolution in the House, Udhayanidhi had said the previous DMK regime, on March 4 and under instructions of then chief minister M K Stalin, had written to the Union Jal Shakti ministry seeking constitution of a tribunal, on the grounds that a new dispute had arisen.In its letter to the ministry, the DMK regime had argued that Karnataka’s action amounts to a water dispute, as no state can claim exclusive rights over the waters of an inter-state river. It said an upper riparian state should not take any action that affects scheduled water releases, interferes with the integrated operation of designated reservoirs, or obstructs flows from the uncontrolled catchment above Biligundulu. It also maintained that new projects, including Mekedatu, are inadmissible.On Saturday, TNFA general secretary P S Masilamani said that such information had not been made public and farmers were unaware of it. “It is unclear how the previous govt put forward such a proposal to the Union govt without the knowledge of the people of Tamil Nadu. This amendment cannot be accepted,” he said, strongly urging the govt to submit the resolution to the Centre only after removing the amendment. He added that demanding the establishment of a legal body to facilitate the Mekedatu project, which Tamil Nadu cannot accept under any circumstances, or bringing this matter up for discussion would only work to Karnataka’s advantage. Incidentally, CPI and AIADMK, among others, supported the resolution when it was put to vote.
