Cabinet colleague criticises Chidambaram's dam comment

KOCHI Union Minister K V Thomas today described as "unfortunate" the statement by Home Minister P Chidambaram that Kerala government's fears over Mullaperiyar dam was "unnecessary" and that it was being raked up due to the upcoming bypoll.

Thomas said he would draw the attention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Chidambaram's statement.

"What Kerala wants is safety of the state and water for Tamil Nadu. The attempt is to settle this issue either through discussions between the chief ministers of the two states or by judicial verdict," the MoS for Food and Consumer Affairs said.

"The statement of Chidambaram cannot be accepted and if a person of his stature has made the statement, it is not acceptable and it will be brought to the Prime minister's notice," he said.

"The issue is before the Supreme Court and as well as before the Prime Minister. The attempt is to settle the issue amicably through discussions between both the chief ministers," Thomas said.

"Kerala has promised the same quantity of water to Tamil Nadu even when a new dam is built. On this, there is no compromise. At the same time, we consider Tamilians as our brothers and there is lot of relationship between the two states," he said.

He said a new dam would guarantee the safety for Kerala. "So, if Chidambaram's statement is to jeopardise this situation, it was quite unfortunate," he said.

"This is a major issue on which the central ministers of Kerala are taking a healthy stand for settlement of the issue through discussion. This statement has created a feeling of unhappiness and anger in the minds of the people of Kerala," he said.