Legal Action Over Backdoor Diplomacy: PMK Urges TN Chief Minister to Halt Mekedatu Talks

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) President Anbumani Ramadoss has issued a sharp warning to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, cautioning against any direct diplomatic engagement with Karnataka over the disputed Mekedatu dam project. Following the release of a shadow finance budget on July 27, 2026, Dr. Ramadoss argued that entering negotiations with Karnataka counterpart D.K. Shivakumar would effectively validate a project that Tamil Nadu has never officially acknowledged.

A Call for Judicial and Political Consensus

Dr. Ramadoss characterized the recent escalation by Karnataka officials as a strategic maneuver ahead of their 2028 Assembly elections. Rather than participating in bilateral talks, the PMK leader insists that the Tamil Nadu government should prioritize two specific actions to protect the state's hydraulic interests:

• Supreme Court Intervention: The state should aggressively litigate its case in the apex court to block any construction at Mekedatu.
• All-Party Unity: Chief Minister Vijay must convene an all-party meeting to align the state's official position with the demands of farmers' unions, followed by a joint delegation of MPs and MLAs to brief the Prime Minister.

The PMK President also criticized the current structural limitations of the Cauvery Management Board, describing it as a body lacking genuine enforcement authority. He demanded the establishment of a board with full powers to oversee dam operations across both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Conflicting Interpretations of the 2018 SC Verdict

The debate has intensified following a Rajya Sabha response from Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary. Responding to inquiries from Dr. Ramadoss, the Minister claimed the Supreme Court’s February 16, 2018, ruling does not explicitly mandate that Karnataka obtain consent from lower riparian states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, or Puducherry for new structures. Instead, the Minister cited Clause XVIII of the 2007 Tribunal award, which allows states to regulate water usage within their borders provided it does not violate the Tribunal's orders.

Dr. Ramadoss challenged this interpretation, noting it directly contradicts a 2015 assurance from former Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti. He recalled that Bharti had previously stated that Detailed Project Reports for Mekedatu must be examined in light of interstate concerns and that the views of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were requisite for Central Water Commission clearance.

Strategic Stance on Delimitation

Beyond the water dispute, Dr. Ramadoss clarified the PMK’s conditional support for the BJP regarding the Delimitation Bill. The party will back the initiative only if the reallocation of seats is not based strictly on population metrics. The PMK proposes a uniform 50% increase in parliamentary seats across all states to ensure the current proportional representation remains undisturbed.

Source: The Hindu — News