The Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam on Tuesday launched a rally from Tiruvarur to Mekedatu with a clarion call to political parties of the State to oppose tooth and nail the Karnataka move to build a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu.
The “rally for justice” called upon the Centre to withdraw the permission given to Karnataka for preparation of detailed project report for construction of dam at Mekedatu and grant permission to Tamil Nadu for construction of a dam across the river at Rasimanal.
The rally was also in protest against the Karnataka Congress’ now suspended Mekedatu padayatra and to press the Centre to ensure that Cauvery Water Management Authority functioned with autonomy.
Participating in a motorcade rally, farmers of the delta exhorted the political parties in the State to come together to save the rights of Tamil Nadu farmers over the Cauvery river water.
Alleging that the construction of a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu would spell doom for agricultural operations in Tamil Nadu, they urged the Central government to ensure that the project was shelved by the upper riparian State.
They warned the Congress that its aspirations would be ruined in Tamil Nadu if the party high command failed to convince its Karnataka unit to stop pressing for the execution of the Mekedatu project.
Leading the rally, P.R.Pandian, general secretary of the association, alleged that the Karnataka units of both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party were hand in glove in promoting the Mekedatu project.
After passing through Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Namakkal and Salem, the rallyists are scheduled to head to Mekedatu from Hosur on Wednesday, where they planned to lay seige to the proposed site for the construction of the dam.