Terming the recent resolution adopted in the State Assembly that incorporated a key amendment seeking the formation of a new tribunal over the proposal to build a dam at Mekedatu as “dangerous”, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday said it would lead to grave injustice to Tamil Nadu.

Addressing public meetings in Karur and Tiruchi as part of his “padayatra” against Karnataka’s move to build a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, Mr. Anbumani said the resolution was wrong and the amendment brought in by Leader of the Opposition Udayanidhi Stalin was unnecessary when the State was vocal against the dam. “When we are categorical that there should be no dam at Mekedatu, how could we accept the formation of the tribunal? It was a grave mistake. The resolution was full of confusion,” Mr. Anbumani said.

“What would happen if Karnataka says that it will accept the tribunal. If that happened, the tribunal might come up with a suggestion of reducing the capacity of the dam from the proposed 70 tmcft. to 65 tmcft. Will you accept that?” the PMK president wondered.

Karnataka, thereafter, would argue it was at the insistence of Tamil Nadu that the tribunal had been formed. The BJP and the Congress could take the cue from the resolution and they would stand together to construct the dam as they leverage the issue to come to power. The election for the Karnataka Assembly was due in 2028. The Congress government, led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, hoped to retain power by building a dam. It should be stopped at any cost, Mr. Anbumani said.

There were umpteen number of Supreme Court verdicts on the Cauvery dispute. But Karnataka hardly respected them and had never released the share of Tamil Nadu as per the schedule. It would discharge water into Tamil Nadu only after ensuring that all dams in Karnataka reached their full capacity. If the new dam was built, Tamil Nadu would turn barren, he contended.

“The people of Tamil Nadu have a joint responsibility to stop the construction of the dam as the Cauvery is the lifeline of the State and concerns every citizen of the State. We have been dependent heavily on Cauvery for irrigation and drinking water for thousands of years and will remain so for thousands of years to come,” he said calling upon the people to stand against the Karnataka move.

Last year, he pointed out, kuruvai crop was raised on 6.5 lakh acres in Tamil Nadu. But this year, the area under cultivation was only about 1.5 lakh acres in filter point areas as the Mettur dam did not have sufficient storage. Given the El Nino effect and lack of rainfall, a question mark hangs over samba cultivation, he said.

Karnataka was moving fast with its plan with all political parties standing united on the issue. But unfortunately the focus in Tamil Nadu was on political crossovers and wranglings, he said and urged the people to come together and raise their voice to mount pressure on the Centre to stop the project.