The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared poised to put the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government in the dock on the charge of not protecting the State's interest concerning the safety of the 135-year-old Mullaperiyar dam.
Both parties saw no truth in the Government's statement that a forest official, without the consent or knowledge of the political executive, had allowed Tamil Nadu to fell trees near the baby dam to fortify the ageing barrier.
They said such a move would help Tamil Nadu raise the water level in Mullaperiyar to a "perilous" 152 feet, thus potentially endangering 30 lakh people in five districts downstream from the dam.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sacrificed the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam on the altar of political expediency. Mr. Vijayan had bowed to Tamil Nadu's interest in Mullaperiyar, DMK being an ally of the CPI(M).
The political leadership could not pass the buck on the bureaucracy. The Congress wanted water for Tamil Nadu and safety for Kerala. However, the LDF had jeopardised Kerala's interests to advantage Tamil Nadu.
The Congress planned to raise the issue in the Assembly and outside.
The BJP is also planning protests on the latest turn in the Mullaperiyar issue. BJP State president K. Surendran said the LDF Government was unprepared, as always, in protecting the State's interest.
Now, the people had caught the LDF playing second fiddle to Tamil Nadu red-handed. The Government had attempted to scapegoat the bureaucracy for the controversial decision. However, no official would promulgate an order allowing Tamil Nadu to fell trees at the baby dam without the knowledge of the political executive.
Forest Minister A.K. Sasindran and the Chief Minister's Office were feigning surprise about the order. Their excuses sounded hollow. Both Mr. Sudhakaran and Mr. Surendran demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident. They said, separately, that the ruling favouring Tamil Nadu resulted from a deep-rooted plot against Kerala. Financial interests were involved.
The controversial order has also caused ripples inside the LDF. Top leaders consulted to devise a floor strategy to "save face" in the Assembly and blunt the edge of the Opposition's campaign outside.
CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran said Mullaperiyar was primarily a political issue involving two States. No bureaucrat could act independently in the matter. He demanded action against the officials responsible for the questionable order.
