Opposition demands urgent all-party meet to discuss legalities in constituting CMB

Taking exception to the submission of the Centre in the Supreme Court in its draft scheme that the implementing authority of the Cauvery Water Management Scheme 2018 could be called a board or committee or authority, Stalin said the ruling AIADMK has the duty to give a fitting reply and urge in the Supreme Court that no alternative to CMB could be accepted.

Stating that the Delta farmers have strongly opposed the draft scheme and ridiculed state Law Minister for supporting the same, Stalin, in a statement, said the expectation of people of Tamil Nadu and Delta farmers was to constitute an all-powerful CMB in conformity with the final verdict of the SC and the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and would secure the riparian rights of the state.

He also added that the last hope of Tamil Nadu people was that SC would factor in the state’s welfare and facilitate the constitution of an all-powerful CMB without giving any more time (to the Centre). Assuring that the DMK would fight to implement the features of the final verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Stalin, asked the ruling AIADMK to convene an all-party meeting on May 15 to discuss the legalities involved in constituting the CMB and the arguments to be advanced by the state in the SC. The principal opposition party has also deferred the all-party meeting it had proposed to chair on Tuesday to Thursday, May 17.

Meanwhile, PMK founder S Ramadoss, in a statement, said, “It is shocking that the Centre has committed betrayal to the state and even the apex court abandoned the state. The Centre assured of forming a ‘supervisory committee,’ there is no use of such a committee, as it has no power.”

Ramadoss said, “This is completely unacceptable” to the apex court statement that it has no role in exploring the draft scheme. The PMK leader warned of massive protests if the draft was accepted.

Similarly, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan demanded the state to convene an all-party meeting to have a lengthy discussion about draft scheme immediately. “At a time when the Cauvery dispute reached a boiling point, it is the state, which should submit proper counter on May 16. So, it should convene an urgent meeting,” he noted. Slamming Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam for his remark that the name of the draft could be anything, but what the state needed was only water, he said, “The comment is unacceptable.’’ CPM too urged for an all-party meeting.