Cauvery Dispute: CM Vijay Rejects DMK's All-Party Meet Demand

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on 7 August dismissed the possibility of an all-party meeting regarding the Cauvery water dispute and the proposed Mekedatu reservoir in Karnataka. He turned down the demand from Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, urging the opposition not to play politics over the issue.

Vijay asserted that his TVK-led government will not compromise on Tamil Nadu's water rights. He said that the state's position has already been communicated in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Vijay Rejects Cheap Politics

Addressing the assembly, Vijay outlined his administration's legal strategy.

"There is no need to convene an all-party meeting. Please do not play politics on the Mekedatu dam issue. Whatever our stand may be, we have expressed it through a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our government will not compromise on its rights regarding the river water issue or the Mekedatu dam issue. I do not want to indulge in cheap politics by bringing up past history. Do not think about who will gain politically or who will take credit for this issue," Vijay said.

He added, "We know what needs to be done regarding the Cauvery issue, but you are politicising the matter...We are firmly committed to pursuing the Cauvery issue through legal means."

Stalin Questions Government Strategy

The row intensified after police arrested Stalin over allegedly derogatory remarks directed at Vijay and actor Trisha amid the escalating Cauvery dispute. Stalin has denied targeting any individual, insisting that his remarks were about the Cauvery issue. The DMK leader dismissed the arrest as a diversionary tactic designed to shift focus from the water crisis.

Stalin highlighted conflicting statements from state ministers regarding whether Vijay would travel to Karnataka to resolve the impasse.

"I am only asking why an all-party meeting has not been convened. When we were in government, the present chief minister criticised us for writing a letter to the Prime Minister. He himself had spoken about it at the time. The chief minister knows how this issue should be resolved. This is a matter concerning the livelihood of the people, and he knows how to address it. I have taken up the resolution you submitted in accordance with the rules. You have yourself acknowledged that the issue is serious. I am only asking how you are going to resolve it. The agriculture minister said in an interview that the chief minister would be going to Karnataka, but two other ministers have denied it. They are saying that they do not want the Tamil Nadu chief minister to come to Karnataka and that they are not prepared to release water," Stalin said in the House.

He also urged Vijay to meet farmers in the Delta region to address agricultural concerns.

"The chief minister should meet the farmers of the Delta districts and speak to them. During the previous government, cultivation was carried out on 6.8 lakh acres, whereas under this government, cultivation has been carried out on only 1.5 lakh acres," he said.