Cauvery row: DMK to take part in 48-hour train blockade

CHENNAI: DMK leaders and cadre would take part in the 48-hour train blockade from October 17 to 18 organised by all the farmers associations urging the centre to form the Cavuery Management Board, announced party chief M. Karunanidhi. Tweeting his support for the protest, he said the farmers associations have given a request letter to the DMK leadership asking them to support and take part in the train blockade and the DMK had accepted their request. The PWA comprising the MDMK, VCK and Left parties had already announced its support and participation in the train blockade.

Before announcing the decision, the DMK held a meeting of farmers organisations and passed a resolution condemning the Centre for opposing the Supreme Court judgment to form the CMB. The Centre had betrayed Tamil Nadu for political gains, the resolution said and flayed the Union ministers Uma Bharathi, Ananth Kumar and Sadananda Gowda for acting in a partisan manner against the Constitution.

The resolution said as per the Inter-state Water Disputes Act, 1956, the judgment of a tribunal constituted to adjudicate a river water dispute is equal to the Supreme Court verdict. Once the order is gazetted, a management board to implement and supervise the tribunal order should be formed, the meeting said. It further said the notification for the formation of the board should be submitted to Parliament, 30 days after the formation of the board.

The Centre which had accepted the Supreme Court order to form the CMB had made an U-turn in two days and said the Supreme Court had no legal right to intervene in the dispute. Another resolution passed at the farmers meeting urged the state government to convene an all party meeting and a special session of the Assembly to discuss the issue. The views of all the parties should be discussed in the all party meeting and steps should be taken to protect the livelihood of Tamil Nadu farmers. The Assembly also should deliberate the issue and pass a resolution to put pressure on the centre.

Tamil Nadu government should take steps to organise a meeting of delegation of representatives from political parties and farmers associations with Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The farmers also hit out Union water resources minister Uma Bharathi who had taken a stand against Tamil Nadu on the water row. Karnataka government is refusing to comply with the tribunal order and ignoring the plight of TN farmers. It is adopting a confrontational approach, opposing the  Supreme Court judgment and passing Assembly to create Constitutional crisis, the resolution said.