Mekedatu dam: Annamalai raises doubts over Centre’s revised stance on Cauvery issue
Former BJP leader K. Annamalai has criticized the Union government's revised stance on the Mekedatu dam project, suggesting it may be motivated by electoral politics in Karnataka. He argues that the Centre's current position contradicts previous statements regarding the necessity of state consent for river construction projects.
Why it matters
The dispute highlights the intersection of federal water policy and regional electoral interests in India.
Expressing shock over the statement made by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary in the Rajya Sabha on the proposed Mekedatu project, former BJP leader K. Annamalai questioned whether the change in the Central government’s stand on the issue was driven by “electoral politics” in Karnataka.
Mr. Annamalai pointed out that Mr. Choudhary’s statement in the Rajya Sabha, that the Supreme Court’s judgment on the Cauvery dispute did not state that Karnataka had to obtain the consent of other States before undertaking any construction across the river, was contrary to the statement made by then Union Minister for Jal Shakti in Parliament on February 16, 2018.
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