Centre should implement SC verdict: PMK

Madurai, Nov 18 (UNI) Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader S Ramadoss today appealed to the Centre to take expeditious steps to implement the Supreme Court verdict and raise the storage of the Periyar dam to the interim 142 ft.

Addressing mediapersons here on his way to Gudalur for a protest demonstration to condemn Kerala's 'obstinacy over bordering on chauvinism,'' he said the talks would not yield any solution.

The protest organised by the party was also to mount pressure on the DMK Government to issue a Government Order(GO) to raise the storage as the apex court order and protect the legitimate interests of the farmers.

The Centre should act to uphold the rule of law and ensure that the Court order was complied with in this issue, he added.

In his opinion, Kerala was blowing the issue out of proportion and taking an aggressive posture by whipping up passions which was unnecessary and uncalled for. The matter concerned only a few TMC of water being drained into the Arabian sea.

However, Dr Ramadoss was non-committal on his party's support to the proposed December 4 economic blockade against Kerala planned by various political parties and different farmers fora.

He said any future course of action would be decided after the result of the talks was known.

The political leadership in Kerala was asked to see reason and consider the repercussions if people in Tamil Nadu decided to stop all supplies, including foodgrain, milk and vegetables. ''Let Kerala challenge and say that they don't want any supply and remain cut off from Tamil Nadu,'' he quipped.

Asked about the CPI(M) and Congress in Kerala holding a diametrically opposite stand on the issue, despite being allies in the state and at the Centre, Dr Ramadoss said as far as the position of the Tamil Nadu unit of these parties was concerned there was no contradiction. They too were for raising the water level of the dam, he said.

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