CHENNAI: Comments by Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar that the NDA government had no intentions of setting up the Cauvery Management Board, met with sharp reactions from the political class in Tamil Nadu on Sunday.
Even as they condemned his statement, politicians urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to immediately convene an all-party meeting and rustle up an all-party delegation to lobby Tamil Nadu’s cause.
PMK heir apparent Anbumani Ramadoss, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi and CPI (M) State secretary G Ramakrishnan issued statements asking Jayalalithaa to emulate the example of her Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah, with regard to the all-party meeting.
“It is critical that the all-party meeting is held, as a question mark now hangs over the kuruvai crop,” said Karunanidhi, in a statement that focused more on criticising the government.
Ramakrishnan on the other hand took a critical line against the BJP. “The final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal is on par with an order of the Supreme Court. That a Union minister has commented against such an order only shows that the BJP is acting against Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Anbumani criticised Ananth Kumar’s comments at a different level. “The comments of Union minister from Karnataka on the Cauvery issue are shocking. According to the Constitution, they are ministers for the entire country,” he said.