VCK leader Thol Thirumavalan demands Union govts intervention over Cauvery water issue

CHENNAI: VCK leader and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalan on Monday demanded the Union Government to immediately intervene in the inter-state water dispute over Cauvery river instead of remaining as a mute spectator.

"The Union Government has a role to play in the Cauvery issue. As usual, it should not remain as mute spectator and assume that the Tamil Nadu government will handle the issue, " Thirumavalavan told journalist at Ariyalur district, referring to Karnataka government's decision against the recommendation of CWRC to release 1 thousand million cubic (tmc) of water daily from June 12 to the end of this month to TN.

"The intervention of the Union Government is warranted at this juncture when the Karnataka government is unwilling to comply with the recommendation to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, " he said and added that it should direct the Karnataka government to implement the Cauvery regulatory body's recommendation at the earliest

"I am flagging the issue on behalf of the INDIA bloc, " he said and continued that the Karnataka government's approach towards the issue was "shocking".

The Chidambaram MP continued that he had earlier insisted Chief Minister M K Stalin to convene an all party meeting over the Cauvery issue, if the situation warranted it. Similar meeting should also be held regarding the NEET exam.

On the encounter of one of the accused in state BSP leader K Armstrong's murder case, Thirumavalavan said that the party is against the encounter and capital punishment.

"We held a conference against capital punishment and even suggested that it should be commuted to life sentence. It was a reflection of the party's stand on the death sentence. But… at this moment, I am not in a position to make a comment on it (encounter), " he said.