Cauvery water issue; Duraimurugan slams MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar

CHENNAI: State Minister for Water Resources department, Duraimurugan said on Sunday that the Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has made comments without knowing the history of Cauvery water row between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

"For the past two months, Karnataka has not provided Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the Supreme Court order. Our Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Modi and the Union Minister for Water Resources department regarding this and I have personally called on the Union Minister twice and urged him to take action. Only the Cauvery Management Board has the authority to release the Cauvery water. However, the Board is not fully operational yet. As the Board is functioning under the Government of India, We are requesting the Board through our PM, " Duraimurugan said in a statement.

"I think the MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar does not know the complete details of the Cauvery issue. From 1967 to 1990, when it was unable to come to any conclusion, the Centre had constituted the Cauvery Tribunal. There is no room for negotiation between the two states after the Cauvery Tribunal has given its verdict and that verdict has gone to the Supreme Court and the SC has given its verdict with some amendments. If the dispute could have been resolved through negotiation, there would have been no need for arbitration. All this is history that has been going on for a long time. Whether the DMK and Congress are friends or not, we are determined to assert our rights, " he added.

Further, the veteran leader of DMK said that the former chief minister O Panneerselvam has also made comments without knowing the history of Cauvery water issue as he is now confused on political issues.