TN BJP to hold protest march over Mullaperiyar issue

The Tamil Nadu BJP has accused the DMK-led state government of entering into a "secret deal" with the Kerala government on the Mullaperiyar dam issue and called for a "protest march" against the "agreement."

In a statement on Friday, party state president K. Annamalai also denounced the opening of the spillway shutters when the water level was just 136 feet.

The party would launch a protest march to the Theni district collector office on Monday against the "deal" between both the governments as this was against the interest of the people of the state, he said.

Annamalai alleged that while Tamil Nadu only has the right to open the spillway shutters of the dam, the Kerala Water Resources and Revenue ministers opened the shutters.


In the past, the spillway shutters were always opened in the presence of a state minister and Theni district collector which did not happen this time. He charged the DMK and its allies-- the Communist parties-- with betraying the people of five districts of Tamil Nadu who are dependent on the water from the dam for their agriculture needs.

The BJP leader accused the state minister S. Duraimurugan of visiting the dam just to give "lame excuses" to the people. He said that the BJP would conduct a series of protest programmes against the "secret deal' between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the Kerala Government ruled by the CPM-led left front.

He also said that the DMK government is betraying the interests of its farmers by opening the shutters at 136 feet which was much less than what was mandated by the Supreme Court as well as the supervisory committee constituted by it to determine the height of the water level in the dam - IANS