Mekedatu: State MPs stage protest at Parliament complex

The members of Parliament from Karnataka, cutting across party lines, on Thursday staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue inside Parliament complex seeking construction of the Mekedattu dam on the Cauvery.

To counter the protest by the Tamil Nadu parties, who have been opposing the project, MPs from Karnataka, including from the Congress, JD(S) and the BJP, came together and staged a protest.

Protesting MPs from the state shouted slogans and held up placards that read ‘Karnataka wants a discussion not disruption’, ‘politics create a problem, Mekedatu gives solution’ and among others.”

“Karnataka MPs were forced to stage a protest to counter the agitation being launched by Tamil Nadu parties for last few days,” Chamarajanagar MP Dhruvanarayan told reporters.

Over a dozen MPs, including Shobha Karandlaje, Prahlad Joshi and G M Siddeshwara from the BJP, Jairam Ramesh, D K Hariprasad, Rajeev Gowda, D K Suresh from the Congress and Shivarame Gowda JD(S) participated in the protest.

The Parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu parties DMK and AIDMK’s have been protesting in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to voice their opposition to the Mekedatu project. The MPs had managed to stall Parliament proceedings last week on the said issue.

The Centre has already given Karnataka clearance to prepare a detailed project report (DPR).

Karnataka proposed to build a balancing reservoir on Cauvery river at Mekedatu to store excess water generated in Cauvery basin to produce electricity and supply drinking water to towns in Ramnagar and Channapatna taluks. However, Tamil Nadu is opposing the project alleging that it would deny its share of Cauvery river water.