Stalin seeks all-party meet over Cauvery, slams Vijay

DMK president M K Stalin criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over the Mekedatu dam dispute, accusing him of pursuing a failed solo approach with Karnataka and demanding an immediate all-party meeting to formulate a united strategy on the Cauvery issue

Chennai: Slamming Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over the Mekedatu dam row, DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday demanded the immediate convening of an all-party meeting to form a united front on the state’s vital lifeline-the Cauvery river.

Accusing Vijay of attempting a “solo political feat” that ended in isolation and rejection, Stalin criticised the CM for ignoring warnings from Tamil Nadu’s political leaders and farmers’ associations against direct talks with Karnataka. “By attempting a solo act, the chief minister now stands isolated”, he alleged in his social media X handle.

---

“We urged the chief minister of Tamil Nadu not to visit Karnataka”, he said adding “past experience has taught us that a legal battle is the only way forward against a state that has unequivocally declared it will not release water to Tamil Nadu”. “They (Karnataka) view Tamil Nadu merely as a drainage basin for surplus water,” the former CM charged.

Stating that perhaps the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu thought he could bring back the Cauvery water with him if he personally visited Karnataka, Stalin said, “however, as soon as the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) ordered the release of water to Tamil Nadu, they (Karnataka) shut the gates on him, saying, do not come for now”.

“It was precisely anticipating such a situation that everyone in Tamil Nadu cautioned him beforehand. At least from now on, the chief minister must approach the Cauvery issue, a vital life line for Tamil Nadu, through collective consultation.” Stalin claimed that calling an all-party meeting in Karnataka on August 2, Karnataka chief minister D K Shivakumar has demonstrated their unity through action. “When will the Tamil Nadu chief minister convene an all-party meeting? Can he do it, or can’t he,” he asked.