Slamming Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy’s government in Tamil Nadu, the DMK said the protests launched by the AIADMK over the formation of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) were eyewash.
In a meeting held late on Thursday, DMK working president MK Stalin said his party was thinking of launching Jallikattu-like protests following the Centre’s failure in constituting the CMB.
Stalin reportedly discussed two more ideas with party members for the protests which would be launched state-wide in Tamil Nadu.
It is expected that DMK will launch the protest on Friday. It is possible that the protest against the failure of the state government to make the Centre implement a Supreme Court order on the Cauvery issue is launched from the DMK headquarters in Chennai.
The DMK brushed aside the AIADMK’s protests against the Centre’s inaction on the CMB. DMK principal secretary S Duraimurugan reportedly said that instead of threatening to commit suicide, AIADMK leaders, especially CM Palaniswamy and deputy CM O Panneerselvam, should have gheraoed the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Read More: AIADMK MP defends suicide remark over Cauvery dispute
“The AIADMK could have staged a protest outside Modi’s office in Delhi. It is not enough if we just pass resolutions. We have to exert pressure on the central government,” said Duraimurugan.
He questioned why the Chief Minister had convened a high-level meeting on the day the deadline was to end as well as the central government’s action to seek clarification on the ‘scheme’ word just before the last date.
The six-week deadline given by the Supreme Court to the Centre in its judgment on 14 February regarding the CMB expired on Thursday.
The Centre on Thursday decided to ask for clarification on the matter from the Supreme Court.
Other Opposition parties, too, accused the state government of failing to make the Centre implement the apex court’s order and the Centre of stalling the move.
“The Union government, instead of filing a clarification plea in the Supreme Court, should set up the CMB and the CWRC as the deadline ends tonight,” PMK Founder S Ramadoss said in a statement.
Several other leaders including VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, Mutharasan (CPI-M) and activist P Nedumaran echoed his feelings saying there was a danger of Tamil Nadu “rising in revolt” over the Centre’s “partisan” approach.
Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan said that the CMB was “simple basic requirement” for “not just the farmers but the people as well”.
Read More: Kamal Haasan says Cauvery water is basic requirement for farmers, people of TN
Rajinikanth, too, tweeted that the CMB is the only solution to the Cauvery water issue.
“On the Cauvery issue… setting up of CMB will be the only acceptable just solution for us. I sincerely hope justice will prevail,” the actor tweeted.
Read More: Cauvery Management Board only acceptable solution: Rajinikanth
The Judgment
In its judgment on 16 February, the Supreme Court reduced Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water and increased Karnataka’s share.
The apex court directed the Karnataka government to release 177.25 tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from its inter-state Biligundlu dam.
The Supreme Court raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a “higher pedestal”.
The apex court had given the Centre six weeks to form the Board. The CMB, once formed, is expected to take control of the dams across river Cauvery through which it will distribute waters to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry according to the formula of the Cauvery tribunal.
Tamil Nadu has been demanding creation of the board so that it can be granted the power to open up reservoirs instead of the Karnataka government.