PTI, CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government will move the Supreme Court on the issue of constituting the Cauvery Water Management Board, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said today even as the ruling AIADMK announced that it would observe a fast on April 2 on the matter.
With the Cauvery issue appearing to be snowballing into an embarrassment for the AIADMK which has largely been friendly with the Centre, the party announced a ‘hunger strike’ on Monday seeking formation of the CWMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee. AIADMK’s arch rival DMK said it would hold a black flag demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his proposed visit to Tamil Nadu on April 15.
DMK, the main opposition party, said it would also hold a meeting of its friendly parties on April 1 and later announce a “massive” demonstration against the state and central governments, party top leader M K Stalin said. In New Delhi, AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP S Muthukaruppan said he would resign from the RS on the Cauvery issue.
He said the Prime Minister was not listening to them on the Cauvery issue. “I am going to resign my post, this is a post given to me by Amma (Jayalalithaa),” Muthukaruppan told reporters at
New Delhi. Praising late J Jayalalithaa for her steps on the Cauvery issue in the past, the MP said he would like “to do something for the people,” following in her footsteps. He made it clear that the decision to resign was his own while he lauded both Chief Minister Palaniswami and Panneerselvam for their efforts on the Cauvery issue. He said he would submit his resignation to Rajya Sabha
Chairman Venkaiah Naidu during the next sitting of Parliament.
Reacting to this, DMK leader Stalin said all ruling party MPs should resign and not Muthukaruppan alone. Meanwhile, outfits including the pro-Tamil Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi staged protests against the Centre seeking setting up of the CWMB. The agitations were held in Chennai and the Cauvery delta town of Tiruvarur. Farmers’ leader P R Pandian said demonstrations like the one witnessed seeking approval for ‘Jallikattu’ (bull taming sport) last year should be held on the Cauvery issue. He said Central government offices should be picketed. Speaking to reporters at Madurai, Palaniswami said the kind of petition to be submitted in the apex court was being discussed with legal experts.
