Mekedatu Dam project sparks political tension in Tamil Nadu

Political tensions are rising in Southern India regarding the Mekedatu Dam project. Seeman, leader of the Naam Tamilar Katchi, criticized the Karnataka Chief Minister’s stance on the dam, calling it an affront to Indian federalism. He urged the central government to deny all technical and environmental clearances for the ₹16,745 crore project to protect Tamil Nadu’s water rights and livelihoods.

Similarly, Ravi Pachamuthu of the Indian Democratic Party (IDK) called for an all-party meeting in Tamil Nadu to exert collective pressure on both the central and Karnataka governments. He warned that any changes to the Cauvery river flow would directly impact the agriculture and drinking water of the Cauvery Delta.

In other regional developments, senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi criticized the Assam government for transferring five captive elephants to temples in Tamil Nadu, demanding transparency regarding the legality and financial transactions of the move.

Meanwhile, in Chennai, fishing community members in Pattinapakkam protested against the construction of a new secretariat, demanding the cancellation of government orders and the return of ancestral lands.