CM Vijay Writes to PM Modi, Seeks Withdrawal of Union Minister's Rajya Sabha Reply on Mekedatu

Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary told the Rajya Sabha on July 27, in reply to an unstarred question, that the Supreme Court's February 16, 2018 judgment on the Cauvery water dispute did not expressly require Karnataka to obtain the consent of lower riparian states before constructing any structure across the river — a statement widely read as bearing on Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu dam.

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the Union Minister's reply "disappointing," saying it was legally unsustainable and overlooked settled judicial principles governing inter-state river disputes.

Vijay cited the Supreme Court's ruling in the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh Alamatti case, where the apex court had held that the consent of a lower riparian state was necessary, and pointed to provisions of the Cauvery Tribunal Award requiring mutual agreement and consultation before any action affecting scheduled water deliveries.

He urged Modi to have the Union Minister's reply withdrawn and asked that no approval be granted for the Mekedatu project unless it fully complies with the Cauvery Tribunal Award and subsequent Supreme Court judgments.

The letter comes amid a wider dispute this season over a shortfall in Cauvery water releases from Karnataka, with Mekedatu having long been opposed by successive Tamil Nadu governments as a threat to the state's share of Cauvery water.