Left parties in TN call for negotiated settlement to dam issue

Chennai, Nov 24 (UNI) The Left parties in Tamil Nadu today appealed to the state and Kerala governments to find a negotiated settlement to the vexed Mullaiperiyar dam issue on the basis of Supreme court order.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) state unit secretary N Varadarajan, in a statement here, appealed to the Chief Ministers of the two states to hold talks and find an amicable solution on the basis of Supreme Court order on the issue.

Alleging that some political parties, including the opposition AIADMK were trying to prevent an amicable solution to the issue, Mr Varadarajan said people of both the states should extend full cooperation by remaining calm and patient to find a solution.

He said after Kerala sent the naval personnel to inspect the safety of the dam and road block agitations were staged in Tamil Nadu, preventing vehicular movement to Kerala, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat had spoken to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi over telephone, in a bid to defuse the situaion, he said.

In a separate statement, CPI state unit President D Pandian flayed Kerala Chief Minister for stating that Tamil Nadu was only a lessee and Kerala was the sole owner of the area. ''It is disheartening to note that a government comprising Left and democratic parties should speak in such a language and indulge in aggravating the problem.'' The deployment of navy had set a bad precedent, he charged.

He appealed to the Kerala government to respect and implement the directive of Supreme court and allow the raising of water level in the dam from 136 ft to 142 ft.

''If we unwittingly cause embitterment between the people of the two states, we will forefeit our moral credibility to raise our voice against imperialists,'' Mr Pandian said.

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