Chennai: Hitting back at arch rival and DMK chief M Karunanidhi over his posers on inter-state water issues, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today accused him of betrayal of Tamil Nadu's interest when his party was part of UPA and questioned his locus standi to talk on state's rights.
Joining issue with Karunanidhi, who yesterday sought to know the state's stand on Kerala's opposition to inter-linking of two of its rivers with Tamil Nadu's Vaipar and took a dig at her over Mullaperiyar and Cauvery issue, she also sounded confident that the NDA Government would constitute the Cauvery Management Board to give effect to the tribunal's final award.
In a statement here, Jayalalithaa said she had already urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her meeting with him on June 3 to consider diversion of water from Pampa and Achenkovil rivers in Kerala to the state's Vaipar.
Responding to Karunanidhi's remarks on Mullaperiyar Dam issue, she expressed the hope that the water level in the dam would be increased to 142 feet soon after the Supreme Court mandated supervisory committee was constituted.
“Karunanidhi, who has lost influence among the people has given a contradictory and half-baked statement,” she said.
On setting up of the Cauvery Management Board, which was also raised by Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister said she had given a comprehensive explanation to Modi on the subject after some Union Ministers raked up certain issues.
“We firmly believe that the present dispensation at the Centre would constitute the CMB. Karunanidhi, who betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu in all crucial issues while being part of the UPA does not have any locus standi to talk of Tamil Nadu's rights,” she added.
Earlier, Jayalalithaa in a letter to Modi had said the setting up of CMB was an integral part of the final order of the tribunal, which specified the quantum of water to be shared among the riparian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.
