Chennai: A day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said that the state had not lost anything in the Mullaperiyar dam case, his party Saturday voiced its opposition to the Supreme Court-constituted five-member committee to review the dam`s safety.
A resolution passed by the DMK`s general council not only opposed the apex court`s decision Thursday to form a five member committee headed by former chief justice of India A.S. Anand to go into all issues relating to the dam`s safety and the water storage level but also said the state government will not nominate any member to it.
The court had asked both Tamil Nadu and Kerala, fighting a legal battle over the Mullaperiyar dam, to nominate one technical expert each as members of the panel, while the central government was to nominate two technical experts.
Speaking at the meeting, DMK leader and Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said: "We are not in a position to accept the Supreme Court`s decision on the setting of a committee."
Addressing the media later, Karunanidhi citing his letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi said: "The central government should intervene in inter-state water disputes to bring about a solution."
He said the state`s non-participation in the apex court appointed committee will not create any legal problem.
"There was no legal problem when Kerala enacted a law to avoid a Supreme Court judgment," he remarked.
The DMK`s general council meeting, attended by around 1,700 members, also deliberated on 29 resolutions on issues ranging from price rise to the Sri Lankan Tamils` situation.
It opposed any hike in fuel prices and in another resolution, urged the central government to take effective steps to stem the increase in prices of essential items by amending the Essential Commodities Act.
On the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, the resolution said the central government should prevail upon the island nation`s government to ensure devolution of powers to Tamils.
The party also called for resettlement of around 250,000 internally displaced persons in the island at the earliest.
Another resolution condemned AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa`s speech on the sugarcane procurement price issue.
One interesting sidelight of the general council meeting was the presence of two AIADMK legislators - Radhakrishnan and Rajendran - sporting the DMK badge. Former AIADMK legislator SV Shekhar was also present at the meeting.
The DMK`s executive council had also met earlier in the day.
IANS
