Cauvery row intensifies as ruling, opposition spar in Tamil Nadu; first political challenge for CM Vijay

CHENNAI: The Cauvery river water dispute has emerged as the first major political challenge for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay since taking office. The opposition has stepped up pressure on the TVK government, demanding that an all-party meeting be convened immediately to discuss the issue.

However, the government rejected the demand, accusing the opposition of indulging in political drama. Senior TVK leader CTR Nirmal Kumar said the issue had already been discussed in the Assembly. He also alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has close ties with the family of a senior DMK leader. According to him, the opposition is trying to put Chief Minister Vijay on the defensive for political reasons.

The political pressure on Vijay has intensified after the DMK questioned why the Chief Minister was unwilling to call an all-party meeting. Vijay had earlier planned to meet DK Shivakumar, but the meeting was postponed in view of protests in Karnataka. The Tamil Nadu government remains confident that it can handle the current situation and has reiterated that it will protect the state's rights over Cauvery river water.

Meanwhile, the DMK is preparing to launch protests against the government over the issue. A large farmers' protest meeting has been planned in Thanjavur, where Udhayanidhi Stalin is scheduled to inaugurate the event.

Tamil Nadu is set to move the Supreme Court on Monday over the Cauvery water dispute, seeking directions to Karnataka to release water. Karnataka, however, has maintained that it cannot release water during a period of low storage. The state continues to oppose the Cauvery Water Management Authority's order directing it to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day for 15 days.