Chennai, Oct 20 (IANS) Coming down heavily on the Kerala government for its stand on the Mullaiperiyar dam, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi Tuesday said people would start wondering which state is ruling the country.
In a statement issued here Tuesday, he said: “If the Kerala government thumps its chest for trampling upon the law of the land and believes that the Tamil Nadu government should accept that bowing its head, then people will wonder which state is ruling the country.”

Citing the Kerala government’s act of passing legislation to overcome the Supreme Court’s judgment permitting increase of Mullaiperiyar dam height and starting the survey work for the construction of a new dam across the river, Karunanidhi said he wondered whether these are proper norms of governance.

“Law abiding citizens and people who have faith in democratic values should decide whether such acts are right,” he said, claiming it is only Tamil Nadu which abides the law of the land for peaceful coexistence with its neighbouring states.

Karunanidhi also accused Kerala Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandam of bypassing all norms and his comment that Tamil Nadu’s objection to a new dam is “politically motivated”.

The Supreme Court will hear the Mullaiperiyar dam case Wednesday, filed by Tamil Nadu government against the Kerala law that seeks to circumvent the Supreme Court’s order permitting the Mullaiperiyar dam height to be raised by six feet to 142 ft and the centre’s sanction to Kerala to carry out survey for construction of a new dam.