Kumaraswamy challenges Congressto secure Tamil Nadu nod for Mekedatu | Bengaluru News

Mysuru: Union minister HD Kumaraswamy Saturday challenged the Congress govt in Karnataka to get its ally in Tamil Nadu to approve the Mekedatu project, claiming he could obtain the Prime Minister’s approval in just five minutes if it succeeded.“I stand by what I said earlier. Congress neither has the strength to convince the Tamil Nadu govt nor to confront it. Without that, the Mekedatu project cannot be implemented. If they can convince their ally, I will get the PM’s approval in five minutes,” he told reporters.Kumaraswamy said, “It was the Congress that had earlier claimed it would implement the Mekedatu project. They have been silent for two years and are now shifting the responsibility onto me. How can I proceed? Let them first get their ally’s consent. If the Tamil Nadu govt is boldly challenged and Mekedatu is taken up, then only it would be possible.”Criticising Congress for what he described as token gestures, he remarked, “What’s the point of opening an office for Mekedatu without even convincing Tamil Nadu? Congress functionaries claimed they would implement the project. They should fulfill what they promised. They came to power after holding a padayatra in the name of Mekedatu. In the past two-and-a-half years, they have merely wasted time. If they now try to blame me, how is it justified?”The Mekedatu project is a proposed reservoir and drinking water project across the Cauvery river in Bengaluru South district. While Karnataka argues it is crucial to meet Bengaluru’s drinking water needs and includes a hydropower component, Tamil Nadu opposes the project, fearing it would reduce the downstream flow in violation of Supreme Court orders and interstate water-sharing agreements.Taking a swipe at state minister Priyank Kharge’s recent remark about banning RSS, Kumaraswamy said, “Forget banning RSS, Congress is getting banned everywhere. The people themselves are rejecting Congress. Let them first try to preserve their own existence. Don’t give statements to divert attention from real issues.”Alleging that Congress functionaries were targeting him due to political anxiety, he said, “They are afraid of me. That’s why Congress leaders constantly chant my name. Ever since BJP and JD(S) formed an alliance, Congress has lost sleep. So they keep targeting me.”