Karunanidhi to meet PM on Mullaperiyar issue

Chennai: DMK president M Karunanidhi today said he will take up the Mullaperiyar dam issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday during his two-day visit to the state. “I am meeting Singh on Monday morning. I will talk to him about Mullaperiyar issue,” he told reporters here. DMK had said on Friday that Karunanidhi, along with party general secretary K Anbazhagan, will meet the Prime Minister during his visit and take up the dam issue, including “preventing attacks against Tamils” in Kerala and increasing the water level of the dam. Singh is set to arrive on 25 December. [caption id=“attachment_164688” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The DMK president today said he will take up the Mullaperiyar dam issue with the Prime Minister. Reuters”]  [/caption] The dam row has escalated in recent days with leaders of both states engaging in a war of words. Kerala is insisting on a new dam to replace the existing 116-year-old structure, citing safety concerns which Tamil Nadu opposes. PTI