Chennai: Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), the political arm of the powerful Vanniyar community, is planning an agitation across Tamil Nadu against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement that the Centre should allow construction of a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery river in his state.
The Karnataka Chief Minister had also said that Tamil Nadu has no ground to oppose the construction of the dam and was unnecessarily creating trouble.
PMK founder leader Dr S. Ramadoss, in a statement, on Wednesday said that the Karnataka Chief Minister has expressed his height of ignorance by stating that Tamil Nadu should not raise any objection to Karnataka plans to construct a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery.
The PMK leader also condemned Siddaramaiah’s statement that Tamil Nadu does not have any grounds to oppose the construction of the dam and that the state was creating unnecessary trouble in the issue.
He also said that Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are not two different countries and that they are two states within the same country. Dr Ramadoss said
that Karnataka has to function within the framework of the Indian constitution and cannot act on its own.
The PMK leader said that the party will be conducting a state wide awareness campaign and agitations against the stand taken by the Karnataka government in the Mekedatu dam issue.
—IANS