Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan now seems to have dissociated himself from his earlier stance that talks with neighbouring Tamil Nadu was the only way to resolve the Mullaperiyar dam issue, and that clamouring for construction of a new dam would serve no purpose.
The sudden volte-face became apparent when Pinarayi -in his reply to the submission made by MLA PT Thomas- told the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Friday that he has always stood by the views of the all-party meeting that the Mullepriyar dam was unsafe.
This comes in the wake of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa ordering the release of water for 120 days on Thursday, in response to pleas from the farming community of Cumbum valley to consider the drinking water woes in the Theni and Madurai districts.
Immediately after the Left assumed power in Kerala, Pinarayi had expressed the need for the setting up of a committee comprising international experts to review the dam and on whose recommendations, a permanent solution had to be formulated.
But Friday saw him categorically deny having made any such departure from what was decided upon in the all-party meet that had unanimously decided in favour of a new dam.