No political force from TN can prevent Mekedatu project: Mandya MLA

Mandya: Congress MLA Ganiga Ravikumar on Tuesday defended Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project and asserted that no political force from Tamil Nadu could prevent its implementation.

Reacting to the opposition from TN against the project, the Mandya MLA said the Supreme Court already directed that issues relating to the project be addressed through the Cauvery Management Board. He stated that Karnataka completed the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) and is moving ahead with the project in accordance with legal procedures.

He said that even if “a hundred leaders like Vijay” become chief minister of TN, they would not be able to stop the construction of the dam within Karnataka. Referring to actor-politician Vijay, Ravikumar said TN has every right to demand its allocated share of Cauvery water, which Karnataka is already releasing as per legal directives, but has no authority to oppose a project being executed within Karnataka’s jurisdiction. He said Vijay is relatively new to politics and may not yet fully understand the legal and constitutional aspects surrounding interstate river water disputes.

Taking a dig at the BJP, Ravikumar accused the party of adopting double standards on interstate water disputes. He said that while the BJP supports Karnataka’s interests on certain occasions, it opposes the Kalasa-Banduri project in Goa despite being in power there.