AIADMK general secretary Ms Jayalalitha points that the DMK government had failed to stop neighbouring Kerala from going ahead with the survey for a new dam.

Jayalalitha responded to chief minister M. Karunanidhi’s charges, she said she had only wanted to know if Mr Karunanidhi attended the November 29, 2006 meeting and added that the ‘diatribe’ against her was ‘unwarranted’ as the DMK government had failed to save Tamil Nadu’s interests on the issue.

Jayalalitha said chief minister M. Karunanidhi has failed to answer the key question which she had raised, “After the Kerala chief minister had made his stand clear that he was going to construct a new dam in Kerala over the Mullaiperiyar, did Tamil Nadu, through its officials, keep track of the developments on the Kerala side? The answer obviously is a very loud NO,” Jayalalitha said.

Jayalalitha pointed the failure on the part of the DMK government.

“Tamil Nadu got wind of the pre-construction survey only after Kerala moved the Centre for sanction to conduct the survey on reserve forest lands. This is a gross failure on the part of the DMK government. And Mr Karunanidhi chooses to close his eyes on this,” she added.

Puratchi Thalavi Jayalalitha charges the chief minister, “Mr Karunanidhi gives a detailed explanation as to why Tamil Nadu was not represented at the September 16, 2009 meeting of the standing committee of the national board for wildlife . My question was how could the meeting take an ‘unanimous’ decision in a meeting where the riparian state Tamil Nadu was not present?” Jayalalitha asked.