DMK seeks special assembly session to discuss Cauvery water dispute

Chennai: DMK on Friday urged the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu to convene a special session of the state assembly to discuss the Cauvery water issue and the situation faced by farmers in the delta region.

Party Treasurer and Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin alleged that because of the ruling AIADMK's "confrontational approach" toward the upper riparian state Karnataka, the state could not get its due share of water from the inter-state river for the past six years.

In such a situation, some farmers in the Cauvery delta region had died unable to bear the losses suffered due to failure of crops or had committed suicide, he claimed.

Farmers' associations, besides DMK, had staged a series of protest on the Cauvery issue, but the government had so far neither held any talks with the ryots on the matter, nor has it provided any relief to them, he said in a statement here.

With Karnataka not releasing water, the delta region was "dry" he said, adding, the lawmakers, should therefore discuss the "critical" situation of farmers.

Further, with the Centre proposing to establish a single tribunal to look into all inter-state water disputes, he doubted if the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) will be constituted in the near future and sought confidence boosting steps from the government for the farmers.

"Therefore, a special session of the Assembly should be convened to discuss the critical situation of farmers. Further, a resolution should be adopted for constituting the CMB and declaring Tamil Nadu as drought-hit and it should be sent to the Central government," he said.