Chennai, Jan 20 (BPNS)
Tamil Nadu farmer groups and organisations have lodged strong protests against the Karnataka Pradesh Congress conducting a padayatra against the state and central governments for the construction of a dam across Cauvery river at Mekedatu.
Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasaigal Sangam general secretary P.R. Pandian came out strongly against the Tamil Nadu Congress leadership on its silence regarding the matter. He urged the Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin to issue strong statement against the Karnataka Pradesh Congress committee’s padayatra. He said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister but not keep a silence on this matter given the DMK’s political alliance with the Tamil Nadu Congress party.
Pandian while speaking to IANS said, “ We had conducted protest marches towards Karnataka on the issue but were stopped by the police at Zuzuvadi town close to the border of Karnataka. The DMK should question the Congress of Tamil Nadu as to why that party is silent on a burning issue of Tamil farmers and people of the state. Chief Minister Stalin must act and not remain a mute spectator given the DMK’s alliance with the Tamil Nadu Congress. We will conduct strong protests across the state against this.”
In a related development P. Ayyakkannu, president, Desiya Thennindhiya Nadhigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam said that his organization would conduct a protest in New Delhi against the moves to construct a new dam at Mekedatu.
Speaking to IANS, the farmer’s leader said, “We will conduct a protest march at New Delhi with 500 farmers participating. We will not allow a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery to affect the lives of Tamil people. The date of our march will be known only after the state executive meeting scheduled on January 21.”
With rumblings brewing in Tamil Nadu over the Mekedatu dam and the studied silence of the state Congress against the move of its counterpart in Karnataka, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin will have to bring out a clarification on the same.
However, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee had suspended its padayatra for the construction of the Mekedatu dam on January 13 itself after the Karnataka high court’s observations about violation of Covid -19 norms and the BJP government of Karnataka banning the padayatra.
The Congress of Karnataka has promised that the party would resume the padayatra once the Covid situation turns normal and that the party was for the construction of a dam at Mekedatu.
