Tamil Nadu govt convenes all-party meet on Cauvery

Chennai

Tamil Nadu government has scheduled an all-party meeting on Thursday to discuss the Supreme Court verdict on Cauvery water sharing, reacting after an overnight announcement by the opposition DMK to convene a similar meet.

The DMK had called an all-party meeting on Friday, but cancelled it following chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s decision to hold the meet a day earlier.

DMK working president MK Stalin said his party would attend the government’s meet at the state secretariat.

Farmers in the Cauvery delta of Tamil Nadu have so far reacted calmly to the court verdict, which marginally increased Karnataka’s share and ordered a reduction in the allocation for their state. The ruling AIADMK and the DMK, however, have been trying to paint each other as the villain for the reduced allocation.

The DMK has accused the AIADMK government of ignoring the opposition and failing to present a united face before the Centre. It has also accused the government of putting up an ineffective fight in the SC.

The government’s view is there are many positives in the order, and on closer examination, the ruling is beneficial to the state.

Palaniswami on Sunday night “hoped” the Centre would set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) as ordered by the Supreme Court, and Karnataka would honour the judgment.

Voices, however, have been raised in Karnataka that the CMB will not be beneficial to the state.

Tamil Nadu fisheries minister D Jayakumar on Monday conveyed the government’s decision on the all-party meeting. Stalin urged the CM to invite farmers’ representatives to the meeting, where the state’s follow-up action would be discussed.