Farmers urge TN CM Vijay to skip Karnataka's Mekedatu talks
Representatives of several farmers' organisations in Tamil Nadu on Sunday urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to reject Karnataka's invitation for bilateral talks on its proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu and other river water issues.
Farmers' leader P R Pandian said all water-sharing discussions should be conducted through the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), warning that direct talks between the two states could lead to unrest.
"Tamil Nadu Chief Minister must reject the Karnataka Chief Minister's invitation," Pandian said while addressing a district office-bearers' meeting of a farmers' coordination committee in Mayiladuthurai.
"Earlier, when such talks were called, contradictions arose, clashes have erupted," he said.
Pandian said the Tamil Nadu chief minister's proposed visit to Karnataka to discuss the Mekedatu dam project and water release was "legally invalid" and contrary to the Supreme Court order and the Constitution.
He also referred to the 2013 Supreme Court directives and the subsequent establishment of the CWMA, saying there was no need for chief ministers of the two states to hold separate discussions on the issue.
The farmers' leaders also expressed concern over reports that Tamil Nadu vehicles were being stopped at the Hosur-Bengaluru border, alleging that it was an attempt to provoke linguistic sentiments.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister Vinoth backtracked from his earlier statement that CM Vijay would visit Bengaluru on August 3, saying the official announcement would come from the party's head office.
The minister was in Thanjavur to inaugurate an initiative to desilt 6 km of drainage canals with the support of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds at an estimated cost of Rs 70 lakh and another drive to remove water hyacinth from water bodies.
