In a politically awkward development that highlights the contradictions within the Congress party’s regional positions, Congress MLA Rajesh Kumar on Friday, 19 June 2026, strongly condemned the Congress government in Karnataka over its push for the controversial Mekedatu dam project, while extending full support to the Tamil Nadu government’s resolution opposing the project.
Speaking during the Tamil Nadu Assembly session, Rajesh Kumar, on behalf of the Congress party, unequivocally backed the special resolution moved by Chief Minister Vijay’s TVK government against the proposed dam across the Cauvery river.
The speech placed the Congress MLA in the unusual position of attacking a project being pursued by a government run by his own party in neighbouring Karnataka.
“The Cauvery is not merely a river; it is the lifeline of Tamil Nadu’s farmers. The livelihoods and agricultural activities of hundreds of thousands of farmers depend on Cauvery water,” Rajesh Kumar said while introducing the Congress party’s support for the resolution.
He accused the Karnataka government of attempting to proceed with the Mekedatu project in violation of existing legal and judicial frameworks governing Cauvery water sharing.
“It is condemnable that the Karnataka government is attempting to construct a dam at Mekedatu without Tamil Nadu’s consent, in disregard of the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal verdict and the 2018 Supreme Court judgment. This action is not only unlawful but also deprives the people of Tamil Nadu of their rights,” he said.
Rajesh Kumar went on to present a detailed argument against the project, citing the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and subsequent Supreme Court orders. According to him, Karnataka is obligated to ensure the annual release of 177.25 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu through specified mechanisms and river systems.
The Congress legislator argued that Karnataka already releases water only after its upstream reservoirs reach capacity and warned that the proposed Mekedatu reservoir, with a storage capacity of 67.15 TMC, would further restrict downstream flows into Tamil Nadu.
“Constructing the Mekedatu dam, with a capacity of 67.15 TMC, at a site four kilometers upstream, thereby obstructing the flow of water from the unregulated catchment area into Tamil Nadu, violates the Supreme Court’s verdict. This is an act that betrays Tamil Nadu,” he declared.
In a particularly striking remark, Rajesh Kumar seemed to even criticised the Supreme Court’s decision permitting Karnataka to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project.
“The Supreme Court has granted permission to the Karnataka government to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu dam; this is a misguided move,” he said.
The Congress MLA warned that implementation of the project would have devastating consequences for farmers in the Cauvery Delta and could threaten drinking water supplies across Tamil Nadu.
“If this project, designed to store approximately 67 TMC of water, is implemented, the farmers of the Cauvery Delta, who are already struggling for water, will be severely affected. The very future of agricultural districts such as Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai would be jeopardized.”
He further argued that the project posed a threat not only to agriculture but also to drinking water security in several regions dependent on Cauvery-based water schemes.
The speech concluded with a categorical rejection of the project and a declaration of support for the TVK government’s efforts to block it.
“The Congress party strongly condemns this unilateral move by the Karnataka government. The Congress party will always remain steadfast in protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu’s farmers and safeguarding the livelihoods of those dependent on Cauvery irrigation.”
While the Congress government in Karnataka continues to aggressively pursue the Mekedatu project as a crucial drinking water and development initiative for Bengaluru and surrounding regions, Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu remain equally vocal in opposing it as a threat to the state’s water rights, but they do not seem to talk to each other.
The result is a peculiar political spectacle.
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