CHENNAI: The ‘proposed visit’ of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to Karnataka to discuss the Cauvery water dispute has come under criticism from opposition parties in Tamil Nadu. Leaders of the AIADMK, PMK, AMMK and the NTK said the visit, if it happens, would not help Tamil Nadu secure its share of Cauvery water, and urged the CM to drop the plan.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami criticised the CM for not convening an all-party meeting on the Cauvery and Mekedatu issues. He also questioned the government’s silence over the union minister’s recent statement on the Mekedatu project and Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s refusal to release water despite the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) order. In a statement, he demanded that an all-party meeting be held immediately to discuss the issues affecting TN farmers.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said Karnataka has decided to challenge the CWMA order to release water to TN and has called an all-party meeting on August 2. He questioned how the talks, if any, between the two CMs could succeed when Karnataka had already refused to follow the CWMA order, and warned that such a meeting could weaken Tamil Nadu’s stand against the proposed Mekedatu dam.
Similarly, AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran also opposed the reported visit, saying it would serve no purpose as Karnataka had openly rejected the CWMA’s direction. In a statement, he urged the state to focus on legal action, consult farmers’ associations and raise the Cauvery and Mekedatu issues with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to put political pressure on the Congress government in Karnataka.
The politcal leaders had made the remarks ahead of the Karnataka CM deferring the bilateral talks with Vijay. Following Shivakumar’s announcement, NTK chief coordinator Seeman said Tamil Nadu was handling the Cauvery issue in a slow and careless manner. In a statement, he said it would be a “historic mistake” for the CM to visit Karnataka for talks. He argued that TN should instead continue its legal and political fight to protect its water rights.