Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday dedicated the favourable Supreme Court verdict in the Mullaiperiyar dam issue to the people of Tamil Nadu. Jayalalithaa said the verdict validated the State’s rights as well as steps taken by her administration in this regard, while lashing out at DMK chief M Karunanidhi, saying his previous government had done little to further Tamil Nadu’s case against Kerala in the Supreme Court.
“Adding to the string of victories, such as the notification of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award in the gazette and prevention of privatisation of stakes in the Neyveli Lignite Corporation, the Supreme Court verdict on Mullaiperiyar and the confirmation of Tamil Nadu’s rights have put me in a state of endless joy,” she said.
“The judgment has validated both the rights of Tamil Nadu in the matter as well as each step taken by my government in this regard. This judgment has ensured the livelihood of farmers and the people of southern Tamil Nadu. I dedicate this victory to the people of Tamil Nadu,” the CM added.
She recalled the steps taken by her present government as well as her previous administration in pursuing the case, and accused Karunanidhi of failing to consolidate TN’s position in his 2006-11 tenure. It was Jayalalithaa’s 2001-06 government, which had moved a civil petition in the SC against Kerala’s legislative amendments which sought to bypass the court’s 2006 verdict in TN’s favour.