NAGAPATTINAM: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami credited the State getting a favourable verdict in the Cauvery issue to the hard work put in by the AIADMK regimes in the past. Addressing a public meeting in Mayiladuthurai on Monday, organised by the AIADMK to celebrate the Cauvery verdict, Palaniswami said, “We have won a hard-fought victory in a struggle which lasted for over 30 years. The victory is a result of the measures initiated by former Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. We have come so close (to the formation of Cauvery Water Management Authority) and by God’s grace, water will be released from Mettur Dam very soon.”
Lashing out at the Opposition, the Chief Minister said the DMK and its allies had no other issue to raise and hence were raking up non release of water from Mettur. “The non-working president of the DMK (M K Stalin) waited for every chance to walk out of Assembly or stage a protest citing non-release of water. In reality, the AIADMK government left no stone unturned in the Cauvery issue; but the DMK and its president M Karunanidhi gave up Tamil Nadu’s rights over Cauvery. Stalin is nothing but a dreamer. My government will stay strong even if one thousand Stalins wage war against us,” Palaniswami said.
Further, he listed out the welfare measures implemented by the AIADMK government in Nagapattinam. “My government initiated building of harbours at Tharangambadi and Vellappallam at a cost of `120 crores and `100 crores respectively, and a mini-harbour at a cost of `’1.1 crores at Arkatuthurai. Steps have also been initiated to build check dams.” Ministers C Vijaya bhaskar, R Doraikkannu and OS Manian were among those who spoke.