DMK Not Opposing Mekedatu Project On Kaveri River Now That Its Ally Congress Is In Power In Karnataka, Says Annamalai

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai today (3 July) said that if Chief Minister MK Stalin does not oppose the Mekedatu project on the Kaveri River during his visit to Bangalore for the opposition meet later this month, BJP workers would show black flags and chant 'Go Back Stalin' when he returns to the state.

He accused the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of staying silent on the issue now that its alliance partner Congress is in power in Karnataka. He also sought to know why are Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu not questioning their counterparts in Karnataka on the issue.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has repeatedly stated that the Congress government would complete the project. It was also mentioned in the party's election manifesto for the recently held Assembly elections.

Annamalai said that Shivakumar was adamant on getting the project done because he has a vested interest in it. Further, he said that is because Mekedatu is located near his Assembly constituency, Kanakapura.

Reacting to Annamalai's statement, KS Alagiri, the chief of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) said, "Just because a Minister in Karnataka has said something, it would not become a law."

It is a multipurpose project intended to supply drinking water to Bangalore and nearby areas along with generation of electricity.

Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project as it feels that it would reduce the flow of water in the Kaveri river, which is very important for the state's agriculture.