Thiruma appeals Congress' national leadership to intervene in Cauvery water row
The VCK chief expressed fear that the Karnataka government’s approach to the dispute would ruin the relationship between the two states, which are governed by constituents of the INDIA opposition bloc.
Thol Thirumavalavan
CHENNAI: VCK chief and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan on Tuesday urged the national leadership of the Congress party to intervene in the Cauvery River water dispute as tensions are on the rise between the Congress government in Karnataka and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu.
“As a constituent of the INDIA opposition bloc, I am appealing to the national leadership of the Indian National Congress to immediately intervene in the Cauvery issue to diffuse the prevailing tense situation,” he said.
He added that the Karnataka government was acting against the interests of the lower riparian states and belligerently denying the rightful share of Cauvery River water to Tamil Nadu despite the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's recommendation to release 1 Thousand Million Cubic feet (1 TMC) of Cauvery water daily between July 12 and 31. One TMC equals 11,500 cusecs of water and 1 cusec unit equals 28.317 liters of liquid flow per second.
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However, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, citing a shortage of water, on Sunday had said the release of 8,000 cusecs of Cauvery water.
Pointing out that the Karnataka government had not released even 50% of the stipulated quantity of Cauvery water during the previous water year (June 1, 2023 to May 31 2024) to Tamil Nadu, Thirumavalavan said, “I fear that the Karnataka government’s approach will ruin the relationship between the two states. It cannot justify in any way for denying the rightful share of Cauvery water to TN despite the regulatory authority’s recommendation."
The VCK MP also criticised the national parties - the Congress and the BJP saying that "taking a stand favouring their respective state units over inter-state water disputes like Cauvery may give them a temporary escape route from criticism. But it results in unfavourable results in the long run and affects federalism."
He also hit out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government for failing to find an amicable solution to the Cauvery water issue and noted that the Centre had convened a meeting of the Inter-State Council, which would handle inter-state issues, only once. No meeting of the council has taken place in the last eight years, the opposition leader said.