CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has dismissed attempts by DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi to protect the riparian rights of the State in the row with Andhra Pradesh on the Palar River issue.
In a strongly worded statement issued here, Jayalalithaa gave a detailed account of the steps taken by her administration, across two terms, on the issue, and accused Karunanidhi of misguiding the people.
The statement said, “Mr Karuanidhi is skilled in rewarding relationships while in power and acting as though he is raising his voice for rights, while he is out of power. It is a joke that he has issued a statement claiming credit for the handling of the Palar issue.” “Like all of his other statements, this one, too, is aimed at fooling the people of the State,” she added. The Chief Minister recalled that it was her previous government that had first responded to announcements by the Andhra Pradesh government that it was going to build a check- dam across the Palar River in the Kuppam region. “The day after the newspaper reports came out, I wrote to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, pointing out that the Madras - Mysore Agreement of 1892 prohibits any construction across the river without the prior consent of the lower riparian State,” she said, adding that she also wrote to the Union Ministry of Water Resources urging the Centre to advise the Andhra Pradesh government against this.
“Having received no reply from the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister or the government, it was my government that had taken the issue to the Supreme Court on February 10, 2006… Presently, cross-questioning of evidence submitted by the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh governments is underway. The Supreme Court may be expected to issue its judgment after hearing the arguments of the Centre and the governments of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,” said Jayalalithaa.
She accused the DMK patriarch, Karunanidhi, of not doing anything to further the State’s case, despite being in power in the State till 2011 and at the Centre till 2013.