A besieged Tamil Nadu BJP, isolated because of the stance by the Central Government not to constitute the Cauvery Management Board as per the directive of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal and the Supreme Court has decided to turn to the national leadership for guidance. The Congress declared on Saturday that it would make former Finance Minister Chidambaram to stage a fast to condemn the BJP-led Government which the party alleged had cheated TN.
The last two days saw all political parties in Tamil Nadu coming out against the BJP charging it with letting down the farmers of the State by not constituting the CMB. The Attorney-General of India had told the apex court the CMB could be constituted only through a parliamentary legislation and the court does not have the authority to ask the Government to constitute the board. The Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal in its final award announced in 2007 had wanted the Union Government to constitute the CMB with representatives drawn from the four riparian States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The CMB was conceived as a professional and autonomous body with jurisdiction over all water bodies in the Cauvery basin and the authority to distribute the Cauvery water in a judicious manner during distress years. The board was authorised by the court to share the Cauvery water on a pro rata basis in years of distress.
The UPA Government which was in power at the Centre did not constitute the CMB during its tenure. It took the UPA Govt six years to even gazette the court order. With the Karnataka Government ignoring the Supreme Court order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the apex court had asked the Centre to constitute the CMB by the first week of October. People on Tamil Nadu had pinned great hopes on the constitution of the CMB.
The Opposition parties have launched agitations alleging that the Centre has “betrayed” the State. Friday saw the DMK top leaders barring Karunanidhi staging a fast to condemn the Centre in the issue of forming the CMB.
Saturday saw GK Vasan, the president of Tamil Manila Congress staging a demonstration against the Centre.
, the Congress and the Karnataka government for not constituting the CMB.
“The Congress will stage a one-day protest fast at Thanjavur to condemn the Narendra Modi government’s refusal to constitute the CMB. All top leaders of the party including former union finance minister P Chidambaram will join the fast to be held on Saturday,” said the newly appointed TNCC president, S Thirunavakkarassar, a former BJP leader.
Tamilissai Sounderarajan, the Tamil Nadu BJP president blamed the attorney general for the faux pass in the CMB issue. “The AG wrongly informed the court that the CMB would be set up immediately. That’s why the Centre and the Prime Minister are being targeted unjustly,” said Sounderarajan.