Asking Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa not to hold any talks with his Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin over the Mekedatu project, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and former Irrigation Minister D.K. Shivakumar said here on Monday that the government should go ahead with inviting bids for constructing the dam across the Cauvery.
“We will fully back our Chief Minister. He should show political will and protect the interest of the State,” he said.
Mr. Shivakumar said that discussing the project matter with Tamil Nadu would serve no purpose. “When it comes to Sstate matters, politicians there (in Tamil Nadu) cutting across party lines will come together. They will not agree for the project,” he said and added, “The State government should show the double engine power in getting necessary clearances, in any, from the Union Government and go ahead with the project.”
“The dam needs to be built in the next three years to meet the drinking water requirements of Bengaluru,” he said and added that the construction of the dam will in no way hamper flow of amount of water to Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, Mr. Shivakumar had a meeting in the city with fishermen community members to discuss about subsidy and other problems. He is set to meet fishermen community members in Udupi and those from Uttara Kannada in Kundapura on Tuesday. “We will take up the cause of fishermen in a big way,” he said.
Mr. Shivakumar said party will field good number of young party workers in the forthcoming Assembly elections in the State.
