Centre will constitute CMB, says BJP

Notwithstanding the fact that the Union Government has sought more time to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), the BJP National secretary H. Raja said here on Friday that the Centre will definitely constitute the CMB and that it has nothing to do with the Karnataka election.

The board ought to have nine members, of which the three riparian States – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala – had to send a member each. The Union Territory, Puducherry, should also send a representative. The Centre would fill the remaining five seats, he told reporters here.

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had not sent their representatives that was the reason for the delay in constituting the CMB and not Assembly election in Karanataka. The Centre needed the time it had sought to persuade the States to send their representatives.

Reiterating that that the Centre would solve the problem, Mr. Raja said the Union Government's track record in solving the One Rank One Pension problem and territorial dispute with Bangladesh was sufficient proof of its commitment to solving pending issues.

Referring to a series of recent protests in the State in the recent past, the BJP leader said the problem with those protests was that anti-Modi protests had turned anti-national protests and anti-BJP protests were anti-Hindu protests. And, it was quite unfortunate.

The DMK working president who took out a march from Tiruchi to Nagappatinam demanding that CMB be constituted did not go to Kulithalai in Karur district, where sand mining was rampant. This reflected the party's duplicity in the issue.

In the medical entrance examination, NEET, the party, its allies and others protesting against it were silent on the State Government's proposal to close down elementary school that had poor student strength. This was yet another example of their duplicity in stand on education as they were unwilling to comment on destruction of primary education in the State for the last 50 years or hold protests in Marina.

Taking on lyricist Vairamuthu, Mr. Raja said that he had suggested that there was very little education in India before the arrival of Christian Missionary-run schools. This was contrary to truth as documentary evidence was available to suggest that 90 % Indians were literate prior to their arrival.

If Mr. Vairamuthu's statement was true how was it that Indians without formal education built Thanjavur Big Temple and many like that that had remained intact over hundreds of years. In fact, the houses that the DMK had built under the Samathuvapuram scheme had started crumbling within three years of construction.

Responding to a social media post by actor and BJP member S.Ve. Sekhar, Mr. Raja said he did not agree with the contents and whether to retain the actor in the party or not, was the call of the State president.