Tamil Nadu CM, Deputy CM undertake fast for CMB

Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami sought to turn the tables on opposition DMK for asking him to resign on the Cauvery issue and for accusing his government of not mounting pressure on the Centre, and said DMK had done precious little to resolve the issue when it shared power at the Centre. DMK, the CM said, had betrayed Tamil Nadu and the farmers of the state.

Launching a scathing attack on the DMK, Palaniswami said TN would not be in such dire straits and witnessing protests had the then DMK government renewed the 1924 Cauvery water sharing agreement with the neighbouring Karnataka in 1974. “Had the DMK renewed the agreement in 1974, TN would not have been struggling all these years. The DMK had deceived the farmers and the state on this issue,” he said.

The AIADMK leader and the Chief Minister hit back at DMK over the Cauvery issue, saying the main opposition party was the one that enacted dramas. Ending his party's day-long fast here on Tuesday to condemn the Centre for not setting up Cauvery Management Board (CMB), 

Palaniswami refuted DMK working president M. K. Stalin's charge earlier in the day and said the Cauvery issue would have been resolved in 2007 itself had DMK told Congress it would quit the UPA government at the Centre over the issue.

“Such a stand would have led to not only the publication of the final award, but also the setting up of the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee and farmers would have had no trouble. But the DMK betrayed Tamil Nadu and its farmers,” he charged. 

On DMK seeking his resignation and for charging his government with not mounting pressure on the Centre, Mr. Palaniswami said DMK did nothing when it was in power at the Centre. “Now they are asking us to resign. They accuse us of not putting pressure. When Congress was dependent on DMK for its survival at the Centre, DMK could have ended the Cauvery dispute,” he said.

He said “pressure was given both politically and through the government” and accused Stalin of being the “hero of drama” on Cauvery issue. On DMK criticising AIADMK for choosing to wait till the end of Supreme Court mandated deadline rather than take on the Centre, Palaniswami explained why his government waited and said following the expiry of the time frame, a contempt petition was filed in the Supreme Court and the matter has been listed for April 9. Also, his government opposed the Centre's plea on Cauvery issue in the top court, which said it would hear the pleas of both Tamil Nadu and the Union government together on April 9, he said.