AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Thursday said there was “no point” in Chief Minister Vijay travelling to Karnataka amid the ongoing Cauvery water dispute. Speaking to reporters in Salem, he said Tamil Nadu is forced to struggle every year to secure its share of Cauvery water.
EPS warned that the proposed Mekedatu dam would severely affect Tamil Nadu’s delta districts, alleging it could turn them into a desert-like region and even impact drinking water availability. He also said setting up a new tribunal for the Cauvery issue was unnecessary.
Referring to Karnataka Chief Minister Shivakumar’s remarks about welcoming Vijay and showing him Karnataka by helicopter before he comments, EPS interpreted it as a signal that Karnataka would not release water. He pointed to the Cauvery Regulation Committee’s direction to release 3,500 cusecs daily, which he said was confirmed by the Cauvery Management Authority.
EPS alleged that Shivakumar has stated Karnataka would not implement the Authority’s order and would instead convene an all-party meeting to decide its stand. In such a situation, he said, Vijay’s visit would not yield results and urged that the issue be treated as a livelihood concern for farmers.
He further said that despite a clear Supreme Court verdict delivered during the AIADMK regime, Karnataka continues to refuse releases. Citing drought conditions and lack of water release affecting cultivation, EPS demanded a waiver of farmers’ loans taken from primary agricultural cooperative banks, to be announced in the agriculture budget on the 6th, failing which he warned of AIADMK protests across Tamil Nadu.
