Chennai: Expressing the hope that the Karnataka government will not delay in implementing the Supreme Court directive on releasing 4 tmcft water to Tamil Nadu, DMK working president M. K. Stalin has warned of massive protests till Tamil Nadu’s rights on Cauvery water is ensured.
With the Centre continuing to procrastinate the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and “failing” to address the concerns of the State in the emotive Cauvery issue, eyeing the Assembly elections in Karnataka, the DMK has no option but to intensify the agitation in the State to uphold TN’s rights.
He took strong exception to the Centre’s submission in the Supreme Court that it could not frame the Cauvery draft scheme on Thursday as per the deadline fixed by the Supreme Court as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministers were busy with the Karnataka Assembly elections. Terming it “a lame excuse” put forth by the Centre before the court, Mr Stalin said in a statement here on Thursday that in an era dominated by information technology it was not difficult to obtain the consent of the Prime Minister or his Cabinet.
“The Centre submission before the Supreme Court coming up with an excuse for not submitting the draft Cauvery management before the court on Thursday is nothing but continuance of Centre’s betrayal of Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The Supreme Court, he claimed, could have registered its strongest condemnation and directed the Centre to submit the draft scheme by today itself. Mr. Stalin also charged the Narendra Modi government with “insulting” the people of Tamil Nadu by not giving an appointment to the Chief Minister during his visit to New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the Cauvery issue.
He hoped the Karnataka government would release the current month’s quantum of four tmcft of water as per the Apex court order without resorting to delaying tactics being adopted by the Centre for electoral gains.
Also, he expressed that the Court would deliver a favourable verdict to Tamil Nadu on May 8. “If the Centre continues with its blatant betrayal and seek more time to finalise the draft scheme to set up the CMB, then there will be no other option but to intensify the protests on a massive scale,” the DMK leader warned.
