CHENNAI: DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Thursday urged the Centre to carve out Devikulam and Peermedu taluks from Kerala and join it to Tamil Nadu at a time when Kerala has toughened its stand on building a new dam after decommissioning the 116-year-old Mullaiperiyar reservoir.Recalling the resolution passed to this effect by the then Congress government in 1956, he said that the trouble brewing between the States was foreseen by the economic experts, including P Natarajan, who suggested that these two taluks should be merged with TN. Karunanidhi also referred to DMK founder CN Annadurai’s letter on the day of Pongal in 1956 which clearly detailed that both these taluks belonged to TN since beginning.Noting that these two taluks fell under the ambit of Pandya Kings in 12th Century, the DMK patriarch said that the boundary of the Travancore Princely State extended only up to Aroor and Kottarakara. However, the British regime, by mistake, entered into an agreement with Travancore for building the dam and using the land which belonged to TN.Even, Travancore King had written twice to the British Governor in Chennai asking the then Madras Presidency to take over the land over which the dam was built, its catchment area and also the land adjoining it at a cost of `6 lakh. “Had the British government responded to those letters and upheld the rights of Tamil Nadu, there wouldn’t have been any row over the dam,” he said.Referring to the reorganisation of the States, the DMK leader said that similar mistake was repeated though all the political parties in TN were united in annexing Devikulam and Peermedu. Considering the “injustices” meted out to TN, the Centre should take ample measures to get back these two taluks, Karunanidhi demanded.
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