Congress in Kerala criticises Pinarayi's statement

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress in Kerala on Sunday criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s statement signalling a shift in the state’s stand on Mullaiperiyar dam, which is a bone of contention between it and neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran and former chief minister Oommen Chandy said Vijayan’s stand was contradictory to the unanimous resolution passed by the assembly demanding construction of a new dam in place of the existing 112-year old reservoir in view of safety concerns. Vijayan, talking to reporters in New Delhi yesterday, had stressed the need for solving the dam dispute with Tamil Nadu through talks and said there was no meaning in Kerala keeping “unnecessary” concern over the issue.

Sudheeran said the Chief Minister should explain the reason behind this change of stand. Kerala had responded unitedly on the dam issue from the very beginning itself, he said. The stand of Vijayan ‘neglecting’ assembly, political organisations and people’s sentiments was ‘mysterious’, he said.