Unite over Cauvery issue, save TN from becoming desert: DMK leader Duraimurugan

Senior DMK leader Duraimurugan on Wednesday urged all political parties in Tamil Nadu to set aside their differences and unite over the Cauvery water dispute, warning that inaction could "turn the state into a desert."

Duraimurugan criticised recent remarks by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary in Parliament that the 2018 Supreme Court verdict did not explicitly require Karnataka to obtain the consent of Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Puducherry before undertaking projects such as the proposed Mekedatu reservoir.

Calling the minister's remarks factually incorrect and dangerous, Duraimurugan cited legal documents and court rulings to argue that construction projects on the Cauvery require the consent of the concerned basin states.

"This is not a party issue; Tamil Nadu is turning into a desert," he told reporters on Tuesday, urging the state government to strongly challenge the Union minister's remarks and move a privilege motion in the state Assembly over what he described as suppression of facts.

Duraimurugan also criticised the government's approach of merely writing letters to the Centre and called for stronger legal and political action. He suggested that Tamil Nadu leaders and legal experts should directly challenge such moves in Delhi.

Recalling the handling of inter-state river disputes by former chief ministers M G Ramachandran and M Karunanidhi, Duraimurugan said political leaders had previously worked by taking all parties along on issues concerning the state's interests.

He appealed to political parties to come together and take a united stand on the Cauvery issue.