The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a special resolution opposing the Karnataka government’s efforts to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu.
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The resolution, moved by chief minister C Joseph Vijay soon after the Assembly convened for the second day of its session, received support from all major parties, including the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Congress.
The resolution opposes Karnataka’s unilateral efforts to construct a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu and urges the Union government not to grant any clearances, including technical and environmental approvals, for the project.
Presenting the resolution, Vijay said, “Speaker, politics is solely for the people, and this applies to all political parties. There may be differences in ideological stances, but when it comes to the problems faced by the people, every political party must stand firmly on the side of the people.”
He further said, “Our only desire is for this to be a democracy with a conscience. It is our duty and our right to act today for our farmers and our people. Beyond everything else, that is our livelihood and our core emotion; water resources are one of our most crucial means of livelihood. River water rights are among our most vital rights. The responsibility to protect them rests upon all of us.”
The resolution criticised the Karnataka government led by DK Shivakumar for pursuing the Mekedatu project without respecting the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal delivered on February 5, 2007, and the Supreme Court judgment of February 16, 2018.
“This House registers its strong opposition to the action of the Karnataka government and it cannot be accepted in any manner,” the resolution stated.
It further noted that both the tribunal and the Supreme Court had designated the Cauvery basin as a deficit basin and already allocated the basin’s waters among the riparian states, making it impossible to undertake new projects or utilise additional water within the basin.
Calling the Cauvery issue an emotional matter for both southern states, the resolution said, “This House urges the Union government to advise the Karnataka government that it should not undertake any dam or new reservoir project at Mekedatu or any other location in the Cauvery basin without the consent of the other basin state and the approval of the Union government.”
The House also urged the Central Water Commission not to consider or grant approval to the detailed project report (DPR) submitted by Karnataka.
As requested by the Tamil Nadu government in its letter dated March 4, 2026, the resolution urged the Union government to constitute a new tribunal under Section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
“This House unanimously extends its full support to all measures taken by the Government of Tamil Nadu to thwart this attempt by the Karnataka government and to protect the welfare of the farmers of Tamil Nadu,” it added.
Supporting the resolution, Congress MLA and Legislative Party leader S Rajesh Kumar said, “if this project designed to store 67 TMC of water is implemented the Cauvery delta farmers who are already struggling for water, will be severely affected.”
“The very future of farming districts like Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai will be thrown into a question. There is a dangerous threat that several parts of Tamil Nadu that currently receive drinking water through the Cauvery Combined Drinking Water Supply Scheme will also be severely impacted.”
He said the proposed project posed a threat not only to agriculture but also to the drinking water rights of people in Tamil Nadu.
“The Congress party strongly condemns this unilateral action by the Karnataka government. The Congress will always stand firm in protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu’s farmers and safeguarding the livelihoods of the Cauvery delta farmers,” Kumar said.
Leader of the opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “It is the firm and unwavering stance of the DMK that the Mekedatu dam, which attempts to destroy the livelihood of our Tamil Nadu, must not be constructed. We must never allow Tamil Nadu’s rights over the Cauvery river water to be infringed upon.”
He added, “Today, the chief minister has brought forward this resolution in response to Karnataka’s attempts to build a dam at Mekedatu. We, the DMK, welcome this wholeheartedly.”
Maintaining that the DMK had consistently opposed the project, Stalin said, “as per the directions of our leader M K Stalin who was the then Chief Minister, the Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on 4.3.2026. In that letter, it was stated that the Mekedatu issue constitutes a ‘new dispute’. Based on the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, we requested the Union Government to constitute a new tribunal.”
He requested that the resolution include an amendment urging the Union government to constitute a new tribunal in line with the Tamil Nadu government’s March 4, 2026 request.
“‘This House urges the Union Government to constitute a new tribunal based on the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, as requested by the Government of Tamil Nadu in its letter dated March 4, 2026.’”
Following Stalin’s request, Vijay said the amendment could be incorporated into the resolution.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said it had emerged that the Karnataka government, after the Centre pointed out discrepancies in the DPR, had submitted a revised report to the Prime Minister seeking environmental clearance.
“It is highly condemnable that the current Karnataka government is working at full throttle to construct a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, in a manner that completely disrupts the good relations between the two states,” he said.
The Karnataka government’s actions in disregarding the final verdict of the Cauvery Tribunal and the Supreme Court judgment, unilaterally allocating funds for the dam, and submitting a revised report to the Centre again this month were “highly condemnable”, he said.
“On behalf of the AIADMK, we unanimously support the special resolution brought forward by the Chief Minister,” he added.
