Mon, Apr 7 09:21 PM
New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) The Congress today hailed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's decision to put off the controversial Hogenakkal project as an act of "great statesmanship". "It's an act, a comment and a decision of great statesmanship that is in the interest of preventing all kinds of chaos," AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here.
To a question on the criticism by AIADMK that Karunanidhi took the decision after Congress President Sonia Gandhi spoke to him, Singhvi said, "the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has already said that nobody has talked to him, the Congress or Congress President." The decision of the Tamil Nadu government to put on hold the Hogenakkal project has come as a breather to the Congress in poll-bound neighbouring Karnataka.
There were worries in the Congress that the face-off between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on the issue could become a major issue in the coming Assembly elections and cause damage to the party in the polls. Karunanidhi, whose party DMK is a UPA ally, yesterday said his decision to temporarily put off the Hogenakkal project was to discuss the issue with a new Karnataka government, to be elected after polls in May, and to prevent escalation of violence in both the states.
Refuting AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa's allegation that he had "surrendered Tamils' rights" on the project, Karunanidhi said in a statement that "I never said the project had been shelved". PTI.
