Tamil Nadu deputy CM O Panneerselvam welcomes PM Narendra Modi at the Chennai airport on Thursday. (Source: BJP/Twitter)
A 25-year-old man in Erode district of Tamil Nadu on Thursday set himself ablaze over the Centre and state’s ‘inaction’ on the Cauvery water dispute. The man’s self-immolation attempt came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s mega defence exhibition, Defexpo, in Thiruvidanthai.
Police said Dharmalingam, who poured kerosene and set himself ablaze, suffered 90 per cent burn injuries. He has been admitted to Erode Government Hospital, where his condition is believed to be critical. Police suspect that the man was mentally disturbed for the past couple of days.
“Cauvery water is the lifeline for the people of Tamil Nadu. Yet, Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi have not take any action to form a Cauvery Management Board. Also, I oppose Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu,” a message on the wall of his house said.
Tamil Nadu has been witnessing protests by various political parties, pro-Tamil outfits, voluntary organisations and student groups who have been demanding setting up of a Cauvery Management Board.
On February 16, the Supreme Court had raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin. The court had given the Centre six weeks to frame the scheme on the verdict. The Centre, however, had sought a three-month extension in the wake of the Karnataka Assembly Elections on May 12.
On Monday, the top court pulled up the Centre for failing to implement the verdict and rebuked the government for missing the deadline to file a draft on the Cauvery management scheme. The court asked the government to submit the same by May 3, the date for next hearing. Besides the Centre, the court asked the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments to ensure law and order till the scheme was finalised.
(With PTI inputs)