CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday asserted that his government would never compromise on the State's rights over the Cauvery waters or in preventing the proposed Mekedatu reservoir project.
He made it clear that he has no intention to politicise the emotionally sensitive river dispute.
Replying to the remarks made by Leader of the Opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin during a discussion on the Cauvery water dispute, the CM said the Cauvery was the lifeline of Tamil Nadu and an issue closely linked to the sentiments of its people.
The CM highlighted that the Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution against the Mekedatu project and forwarded it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He recalled that after learning that the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, while replying in the Rajya Sabha, had not referred to the complete legal position on the Mekedatu project, the Tamil Nadu government immediately wrote to the Prime Minister the very next day.
The letter cited the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court judgment, urging the Centre not to grant any statutory or administrative approval for the project.
Vijay reiterated that whether it concerned the sharing of Cauvery waters or blocking the Mekedatu project, his government would not yield Tamil Nadu's rights under any circumstances.
The CM said the government remained firmly committed to pursuing the Cauvery issue through legal means.
However, he explained that the proposed visit to Bengaluru had been conceived only as an additional effort to explore whether a positive breakthrough could be achieved through dialogue.
Vijay said he himself had first suggested such a visit as he believed that if even a small positive sign towards resolving the dispute could emerge, the effort would be worthwhile. He noted that even hostile nations attempted to resolve disputes through negotiations and wondered why neighbouring States could not engage in dialogue.
Responding to criticism over the proposed visit, he said a few had asked what would happen if the initiative resulted in humiliation.
"If such a situation arose, he was prepared to bear even that for the sake of the people of Tamil Nadu," he added.
The Chief Minister, however, declined to blame previous governments over the Cauvery issue. Referring to debates held in the Assembly in 1969 after Karnataka began constructing certain dams, he said he did not wish to indulge in "cheap politics" by questioning who had been the minister in charge then or why those projects had been allowed.
He stressed that the Cauvery dispute should be handled with utmost care and should not become a matter of political credit or blame, as it concerns the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu.
He recalled that former Opposition leader Karuthiruman had, as early as 1969, advocated that the two States concerned and the Union government should sit together to resolve the dispute.
Questioning the government's stand, Udhayanidhi Stalin said the CM should explain what concrete steps had been taken to stop Karnataka from proceeding with the Mekedatu dam.
He also criticised the government for rejecting the demand for an all-party meeting on the Cauvery issue.
"Karnataka convened an all-party meeting. All political parties there have united to protect their rights. Why is the TVK government refusing to convene a similar meeting to demonstrate Tamil Nadu's unity on the Mekedatu issue?" he asked.
Udhayanidhi further questioned the reported proposal for Vijay to visit Bengaluru for talks with the Karnataka government.
"The government first allowed reports about the Chief Minister's proposed visit to Bengaluru. Later, after the Opposition was voiced, the Chief Minister denied it," he said.
Vijay had planned to visit Bengaluru to discuss the issue. However, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reportedly requested him to defer the visit, citing heightened tensions over the Cauvery dispute, and instead offered to host him at a later date for a visit to the drought-hit Cauvery basin.
