AIADMK "betrayed" TN on Cauvery issue: CM

Chennai, Mar 28 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today accused the Opposition AIADMK of betraying the people of the state on the Cauvery issue, by taking a stand in favour of Karnataka.

On AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa's charge that he had been betraying the farmers since 1968, Mr Karunanidhi answering a set of questions, said the people of the state were aware as to who had betrayed the people on the issue.

He said the AIADMK had not only said that the 1924 agreeement between the two states had lapsed in 1974, but also gave a memorandum to this effect to Prime Minister, favouring Karnataka.

When the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal gave its interim order, Ms Jayalalithaa had openly said Karnataka would not honour the award, he said.

Soon after the Tribunal gave its interim award, the then Union Water Resources Minister V C Shukla wrote to Ms Jayalalithaa, the then Chief Minister on June 9, 1992 about constitution of a committee to implement the interim award and sought her reply.

But, Ms Jayalalithaa, had put the letter in the ''dustbin'' till April 1993, he alleged. After launching a fast unto death in 1993, the AIADMK leader, unable to continue the fast, ended the same, after telling a lie that the Centre had agreed to constitute a committee. But till she demitted office in 1996, the committee had not been constituted at all, Mr Karunanidhi pointed out.

On Ms Jayalalithaa's charge that he was soft towards Karnataka because of Sun TV's presence in that state, he had already made it clear that he had no stakes in the television channel.

Moreover, Sun TV was present in the US also, but he never refrained from launching a campaign against the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussain at the behest of the Bush administration.

He said the people were also aware of the origin of the Cauvery issue and when Sun TV, owned by his kin Kalanidhi Maran came into existence.

To another question, Mr Karunandhi said he agreed with PMK President G K Mani that his party, would no longer want to continue the row with the DMK over party's Platform speaker Vetrikondan's remarks against PMK founder leader Dr S Ramadoss.

Mr Karunanidhi said the workers of both the DMK and the PMK should control their emotions and appealed to his party workers not to act in a manner that would affect the coalition dharma.

UNI