Chennai: The DMK on Thursday described as “eyewash”, the Centre’s decision to keep in abeyance an Environment Ministry committee recommendation to allow Standard Terms of Reference (STR) to Kerala for its proposed dam on Siruvani River.

“Instead of saying clearly that there is no permission to construct a dam across Siruvani, the Centre has said that the STR was being kept in abeyance. I see this as an act of fooling Tamil Nadu farmers,” DMK treasurer MK Stalin said.

Such a move was being adopted as a “diversionary tactic” by the Centre as people of the state, including farmers, were “outraged” against it on the Cauvery issue and it had come up with such an announcement, which is an “eyewash”, he said.

Stalin, leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, pointed out that the Centre had reversed its stand on constituting the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), though it had initially agreed to establish it. “So there are doubts if this too is a prelude to fool farmers like they had been done on the CMB issue,” he said, adding, the state government should not think it had made a major achievement with the latest development.

“The Tamil Nadu government should exert pressure on the Centre to permanently stay Kerala’s proposal to construct the dam and the Central government should also make an announcement to this effect,” Stalin said in a statement.

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said the Centre had informed it that it had decided to “keep in abeyance” the recommendations of an expert committee of the Environment Ministry allowing Kerala to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment study for the Attappadi valley irrigation project.