Tamil actors Vijay, Dhanush join protest in Chennai Cauvery water dispute

As the water war intensifies between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Tamil actors Vijay, M Nassar and Vishal today joined a protest in Chennai demanding a Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

Celebrated actor Dhanush, the son-in-law of actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth, too, joined the protest.

Tamil Nadu continues to be on the boil with protests in different areas across the state intensifying further in the last week. In Trichy, protesting farmers partially buried themselves in sand on banks of Cauvery river on Friday demanding to set up a Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

Earlier on Thursday, DMK had called a shutdown in the state over the Centre's failure to set up the Board.

A three-judge bench of Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, on February 16 increased Karnataka's share of Cauvery water by 14.75 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) and reduced Tamil Nadu's share by an equal amount. The court, however, allowed Tamil Nadu to extract 10 tmcft of ground water from the river basin.

The Supreme Court directed the Centre to constitute a Cauvery Management Board that would implement the water-sharing formula between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka within six weeks of the February 16 order. The deadline for the same ended on March 29.

While Tamil Nadu wants the Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board at the earliest, Karnataka has opposed formulation of the board and sought an alternate mechanism to implement the court's verdict.

The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court against the Centre's failure to frame the scheme for constitution of the Cauvery Management Board. The petition has been listed for hearing on April 9.

(With inputs from Shalini Lobo)

Also read: Kamal Haasan refers to Rajinikanth as an outsider amidst Cauvery stir in Tamil Nadu

Also read: Rice bowl to dust bowl?