The Cauvery water dispute has claimed at least two lives in a span of two weeks in Tamil Nadu with a relative of MDMK leader succumbing on Saturday following his self-immolation attempt on Friday.

R Saravana Suresh, 50, a businessman from Virudhunagar and a close relative of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko had set himself on Friday morning and succumbed to his burn injuries at a private hospital here on Saturday.

A few days ago during the state-wide bandh observed by opposition parties in the state, a young MDMK cadre Dharmalingam self-immolated at Erode in south Tamil Nadu.

Suresh, the second victim, is the son of Vaiko’s brother-in-law Ramanujam. He is said to have taken the extreme step after listening to an emotional speech of his uncle Vaiko against the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Chennai.

It is reported that like his other party cadres he was disappointed over the delay by the Union government in constituting the Cauvery Management Board(CMB).

Suresh, who left his home under the pretext of going for a morning walk, immolated himself on the Madurai-Tirunelveli national highway near Soolakkarai after dousing himself with fuel. Though he was rushed to the hospital by bystanders and police personnel immediately, he succumbed to his 90 per cent burns he inflicted on himself.

An emotional Vaiko told the media that Suresh was also dejected over unfair allegations levelled against him, particularly in social media, by cadre of a fringe political party questioning his integrity on the Sterlite issue.

It may be noted that Vaiko and his cadres had a tussle with cadres of Nam Tamizhar Katchi, a Tamil chauvinist group led by Seeman a few days ago when they were took out march against the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi.

Vaiko said his entire family was shattered by the development. Though Vaiko has made repeated fervent plea to his cadre and followers not to resort to such extreme acts no matter what the issues are and instead live and struggle for the issue, people appear to still be resorting to self immolation, a mode of protest prevalent in the state since the anti-Hindi agitation.

Meanwhile, the ongoing agitation for the CMB in the state reached a flash point near Tamilandu-Karanataka boarder on Saturday when about 400 members of the Communist Party of India (CPI), including several women tried to march towards Mysuru to lay siege to the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam.