Legal action against propagandists: Kerala CM on Mullaperiyar

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday slammed false propaganda on social media claiming ‘danger’ to Mullaperiyar dam and warned of legal action against those who created panic among the people.

The Chief Minister told the state Assembly that the government is committed to its demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar despite opposition, including from the central government.

Responding to demands from members seeking government’s intervention to address people’s concerns, as they are in a state of panic due to social media propaganda on the dam, Vijayan said, “some people are creating unnecessary panic through social media.”

“Some people are creating a scene (in social media) saying that the dam was in danger and lakhs of people are going to die. The reality is that no such dangers exist there at present,” the Chief Minister said.

The Tamil Nadu government is cooperating with Kerala in a good manner on all issues, Vijayan said adding there were some areas where the two states have minor differences and these needed resolutions through discussions.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan raised the issue, saying people were in panic due to social media propaganda related to Mullaperiyar and sought the government’s intervention to address concerns.