Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had yesterday stated that there was no change in Kerala's stand that a new dam was the need of the hour. (File photo)
A day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected the opposition UDF's demand to convene an all-party meeting on the Mullaperiyar dam issue, Congress state unit today maintained that an all-party meet should be called to discuss the matter.
KPCC president VM Sudheeran said the chief minister is still continuing to take a stand that would harm the interest of the state on the issue of the dam, which is a bone of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
"The new issue is that CM has deviated from the essence of the resolutions passed by the state assembly on the matter," he said, referring to Mr Vijayan's remark that there was no need for an all-party meeting as there was no new development on the matter.
Mr Sudheeran in a statement in Thiruvananthapuram said an all-party meeting has to be convened to make Kerala's stand clear on the subject.
Mr Vijayan had yesterday stated that there was no change in Kerala's stand that a new dam was the need of the hour. But that cannot be achieved without the support from Tamil Nadu and the Centre's consent.
While Tamil Nadu believed the dam was strong, Kerala's argument was that the century-old dam was in a dilapidated state and weak, he said.
"Both Tamil Nadu and the Supreme Court have not agreed to our argument. That is why we want an internationally acclaimed panel of experts to study the dam's strength," he had said.
UDF had sought an all-party meeting to discuss the Mullaperiyar issue in view of the 'confusion' over the chief minister's remarks over the safety of the dam during his recent New Delhi visit.