Cleared
Chennai: Tamil Nadu government is mulling passing a resolution on Cauvery in the upcoming budget session scheduled to begin on March 15, even as the main opposition, DMK, is insisting on holding a special sitting to get the Centre to constitute Cauvery Management Board to regulate the water release from Karnataka. The state budget to be presented by finance minister O Panneerselvam, after the merger of the warring factions of the ruling party, will be debated for the next few days.
With the deadline set by the Supreme Court to set up a mechanism to release water due to Tamil Nadu getting closer, the state and the opposition parties want to exert maximum pressure on Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board. “It is likely to have a resolution passed during the budget session itself instead of holding a session separately,” said a senior minister, seeking anonymity.
DMK leader M K Stalin had demanded that chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami convene a special session, when the latter pointed to the “poor response” from the PMO that the all-party delegation should first meet Union water resources minister Nitin Gadkari. The DMK leader sent a letter to Palaniswami insisting on a special session, dubbing the meeting convened by water resources ministry with chief secretaries of four basin states as “eye-wash.”
The political parties and farmers associations are also agitated over the water resources secretary U P Singh categorically saying that the court directive is only to frame a “scheme” and there was no mention of board. “Almost a month has lapsed since the court pronounced the Cauvery verdict. The state should have called for a special session when it knew that PM did not respond to the CM’s request. A resolution adopted at a special session would have made a huge impact in Delhi,” DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan said. The DMK joined hands with AIADMK, CPI and CPM last week in Parliament complex and protested the delay in setting up the board by the Centre. The MPs continued to stall the proceedings in both Houses.
Incidentally, Union minister of state for water resources, Arjun Ram Meghwal reiterated the government’s stand in Rajya Sabha on Monday. He said action had been initiated by the ministry towards “framing a scheme”. AIADMK MP V Maitreyan said the state would not settle for anything less than board. “Our protests will continue until the Centre meets our demand,” the MP said. AIADMK MPs led by deputy LS speaker M Thambidurai raised slogans, and held placards in Parliament complex for the seventh day on Tuesday. The members said the delaying tactics of the Centre is in view of the forthcoming assembly election in Karnataka.
