MK Stalin, leader of Opposition who is also the chosen heir of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, blamed the people of Tamil Nadu for their lack of unity in resolving the seven-decade long Cauvery Water dispute with neighbouring Karnataka. “While the stakeholders of Karnataka are united in their stance against Tamil Nadu over the non-release of Cauvery water, the same is not the case in Tamil Nadu,” said Stalin while addressing the all-party meeting convened by the DMK on Monday to discuss the situation arising out of Karnataka’s refusal to part with Cauvery water and the Centre’s ‘callousness’ in constituting the Cauvery Management Board as per the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award of 2007.
Stalin, the treasurer of the DMK, charged that some politicians and media persons were bent upon making the all-party meeting a failure. Though he had sent invitation to all political parties and leaders of farming community, only the trusted allies of the DMK attended the meeting. leaders of the Congress, the Muslim league, the MMK (an Islamic extremist outfit) and K Veeramani, proprietor of Periyar Maniammai University who also owns the Dravida Kazhakam were the familiar faces who attended the
meeting.
The AIADMK, the BJP, the Peoples Welfare Front were conspicuous by their absence. Prominent leaders of the farming community including Mannargudi S Ranganathan, Kattumannarkoil Kannan, Arpathi Kalyanam and RV Giri of the CIFA too opted to stay away from the meeting.
The meeting adopted some resolutions demanding the constitution of the CMB, rejection of the G S Jha committee report which Stalin said as not favourable to Tamil Nadu and compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre to all the farmers in the Cauvery Delta who suffered losses because of Karnataka’s refusal to release Cauvery water. The DMK leader said he would lead a delegation of parties to New Delhi to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to impress upon him the need for the immediate constitution of the CMB.
Kannan, general secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, pointed out that Monday’s meeting was an attempt by the DMK to cheat the farmers. “They were in power at the Centre from 1996 to 2014 except for one year. They did not do anything to help the farmers. Karunanidhi was more interested in getting money-spinning ministries in the union government for his family members and loyalists. Though the CWDT award was pronounced in 2007, the same was notified only in 2013. Couldn’t Karunanidhi have insisted with the Centre for an earlier notificationIJ” asked Kannan.
R V Giri, president, CIFA, the umbrella organisation of all farmers in the country described the Monday meeting as a political drama staged by the DMK. “Karunanidhi is good in writing scripts for movies. Now that he is out of work, he has suddenly remembered the farmers. This meeting is yet another attempt by Karunanidhi to stage a comeback to politics. The timing is also important as the Election Commission has declared the election from three assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu,” said Giri.