Now that Union Defence Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman has openly stated that she would be supporting Karnataka in the issue of construction of a dam at Mekedatu across Cauvery (which is strongly objected to by Tamil farmers and politicians), it remains to be seen whether another BJP leader and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan (who represents Kanniyakumari in Parliament) would follow suit and declare his support openly to Tamil Nadu.

Madurai-born Nirmala is among the several BJP leaders who have supported Karnataka in the Mekedatu issue after the Centre clered the proposal to prepare a draft report on the proposed construction. Nirmala, who represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, seems to have started considering herself as a Kannadiga by joining the bandwagon of BJP’s Central Ministers from the State such as Sadananda Gowda, Ananthakumar Hegde and Ramesh Jigajinagi.

Ironically enough, both the BJP and Congress MPs from Karnataka have buried their political differences on the issue. When a Rajya Sabha MP can owe allegiance to the State which selected her to the Upper House, it remains to be seen what stanc Pon Radhakrishnan (the lone BJP MP from Tamil Nadu) takes as he has been directly elected by the electorate of Kanniyakumar parliamentary constituency.

Though Ponnar has repeatedly said that the BJP-led Centre won’t disappoint Tamils on the issue, he hasn’t openly taken stance on the issue, unlike Nirmala Sitharaman.