Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing row over the proposed Mekedatu dam project, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday said the state would respect the law of the land, as a war of words between the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu units of the Congress put the Cauvery water dispute back in the political spotlight.
Taking a dig at Tamil Nadu, he said opposition to the project may be political, asserting his administration’s commitment to the people of the state.
“I have already placed it before the Central Govt. I have mentioned it to the Prime Minister also. We have to respect the law of this country. Whatever the Court says, we have to implement it. I think they may oppose politically. They have a big legal team in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Let them have it. They can understand; still they want to oppose. We are not going to stop their voice but we have to do our job. It is our commitment,” he told reporters.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said leaders of both states were duty-bound to protect their own interests.
“The Tamil Nadu PCC president will make statements and do everything within his capacity to protect Tamil Nadu’s interests. Similarly, the Karnataka PCC president, the Chief Minister and all of us are duty-bound to protect our state’s interests,” he said.
He said the Supreme Court had given directions and the law was on Karnataka’s side.
“Whatever happens, it is going to benefit both states. In fact, Mr Shivakumar had offered the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister an opportunity to have a dialogue on this… Everyone has to follow the law of the land,” Kharge said.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar said he would travel to Delhi on Monday for the release of Sonia Gandhi’s memoirs.
“I am going to Delhi because my leader’s book is being released. We have been invited,” he said.
On the induction of women into the Cabinet, he said he had already placed his request before the party leadership.
“They will call me, and I will discuss it at the appropriate time,” he said.
This comes after a war of words erupted within the Congress over the contentious Mekedatu dam project, with Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar asserting that “no one can stop” its construction and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president Manickam Tagore strongly opposing the move, accusing him of undermining the interests of Tamil Nadu’s farmers.
The sharp exchange has brought the long-standing Cauvery water dispute back into the political spotlight, drawing reactions from the DMK, AIADMK, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and leaders of both Congress units, with the issue increasingly turning into a political confrontation between the two neighbouring states.
The Mekedatu project is a proposed balancing reservoir on the Cauvery River in Karnataka, primarily intended to meet Bengaluru’s drinking water requirements and generate hydroelectric power.
Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed it, fearing it could affect Cauvery water availability for downstream areas, particularly the delta districts.
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