Over 8000 MDMK activists arrested for protesting over Mullaperiyar Dam issue

COIMBATORE - Over 8000 activists of the regional Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) party courted arrest near the Kerala border on Friday.

They staged a road blockade against the Kerala Government’s decision to demolish the Mullaperiyar Dam.

V. Gopalswamy ‘Vaiko’, chief of the MDMK warned the Kerala Government of disastrous consequences.

“If the dam is broken deliberately, the consequences would be disastrous. We won’t indulge in any violence, but if things go out of control, that will be detrimental to both states,” said Vaiko.

The protest was also staged against inter-state water disputes and the alleged biased behaviour of the Central Government towards Kerala.

The Mullaperiyar Dam and the construction of a new dam across the Pambar River would deprive Tamil Nadu of its due share of water for irrigation of over 2.17 lakh acres of land.

The Mullaperiyar dam is located in Kerala but managed by the Irrigation Department of Tamil Nadu. (ANI)