Duraimurugan dares EPS for debate on Cauvery

Rebutting Palaniswami’s allegation in Nagapattinam on Monday that the DMK had betrayed the state on Cauvery, Duraimurugan said it does not bode well for the office of CM to repeatedly accuse their party assuming that people would buy it. 

“The Chief Minister who holds the PWD portfolio should read the files related to the Cauvery issue or the policy note of PWD tabled in the House in the AIADMK regime. If that is not possible, at least he should have given ears to Stalin or his Assembly speeches on the achievements of the DMK on the Cauvery issue,” Duraimurugan said, adding that it was an insult to the state that the CM was speaking without doing any of the above. 

Listing out the achievements of the DMK regime on the issue, including the initiation of CM-level talks, raising the demand for the constitution of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, adoption of Assembly resolution, getting the Supreme Court’s approval for the tribunal, securing the interim order of the tribunal, among others, Duraimurugan, in a statement, clarified the reason for not notifying the final verdict immediately has been explained in the policy note tabled in the House during the chief ministership of late J Jayalalithaa. 

Recalling that the case was withdrawn in 1971 after consulting all parties, the deputy leader of opposition said it was agonising to see the CM argue that Karunanidhi had withdrawn the case to escape from other cases. 

Accusing Palaniswami of colluding with the Centre and compromising on the rights of the state on the crucial riparian issue to continue his stay at the CMO, he referred to the reduction in Tamil Nadu’s water quantum by 14.75tmcft and delay in constituting the Cauvery Water Management Authority and said Palaniswami neither has the moral right nor the credentials to blame the DMK. 

Taking exception to the CM’s comment that even a thousand Stalins can’t ‘shake’ his regime, the deputy LoP described Palaniswami as “accidental CM” and said the ruling dispensation was afraid to handle even one Stalin in the House.