File photo: DMK chief M Karunanidhi
Strongly criticising his arch rival Chief Minister Jayalalithaa over the Mullaperiyar dam issue, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi today demanded to know the state government's action plan on the dam row against the background of a review petition in the Supreme Court filed by Kerala.
Kerala filed a review petition on June 30 in the apex court, citing apprehensions about the dam's safety, Karunanidhi said in a statement.
"The Kerala Chief Minister has also said that his State would get legal opinion on seeking Presidential Reference from the Supreme Court to get clarity on its verdict on the dam issue after looking into the outcome of its review plea in the apex court," Karunanidhi noted.
"Does a government exist here to consult about this issue? What is the government doing," he asked in a scathing attack on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
The court on May 7 had held that the 120-year-old Mullaperiyar dam was safe and allowed the Tamil Nadu government to raise the water level to 142 feet initially and ultimately to 152 feet after completing strengthening measures.
On June 18, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved constitution of a three-member Supervisory Committee for this purpose.
Later, on July 1, the Centre constituted a three-member supervisory committee as per the Supreme Court's verdict. Jayalalithaa had thanked the Centre for the action.