Cauvery issue escalates as TN minister rejects all-party meet

Chennai: Tamil Nadu minister CTR Nirmal Kumar on Sunday rejected the demand for an all-party meeting made by various political parties in the state to discuss the ongoing Cauvery water row with Karnataka.

He said a detailed resolution was already passed unanimously in the Assembly with the support and participation of all political parties.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi have demanded for an all-party meeting.

The minister also alleged that DMK president MK Stalin and Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were working in tandem to undermine Tamil Nadu’s interests in the ongoing Cauvery water dispute.

“In our legislative assembly, a resolution was passed unanimously with the support and participation of all political parties. They all nodded along and supported the resolution unanimously,” he told reporters in Chennai.

“Everything regarding that resolution was debated right there. If there was opposition to be voiced, it could have been raised right then. They supported only after listening to everything, didn’t they? Wasn’t everyone given an equal opportunity to speak? Everyone spoke,” he said.

“Then why, just four days ago, did they (AIADMK) file a petition in the high court challenging the very resolution they had supported? The moment they filed a case in the high court, the DMK filed a petition in the Supreme Court two days later.

Who ultimately suffers because of all this? It is the people of Tamil Nadu. Under the guise of creating trouble for the chief minister, they are acting against the interests of the public,” he said.