Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Monday called for an all-party meeting on February 22 to discuss the next course of action on the Cauvery verdict. This will be the first all party meet to be chaired by EPS.
The Chief Minister has invited all other parties to participate in the meeting including the arch-rival the DMK.
His announcement came hours after DMK’s working President MK Stalin called for an all-party meeting on February 23 to discuss the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Cauvery dispute. In a statement, Stalin had said that the DMK would invite not just parties like the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK and MDMK but also the ruling AIADMK and the BJP.
However, soon after the CM's announcement, DMK cancelled its all-party meeting and said that Leader of Opposition MK Stalin will participate in the meeting on February 22.
On Friday, the Supreme Court had modified the 2007 Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s order, and directed Karnataka to release 177.25 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu as against 192 TMC earlier. The reduced amount of water was viewed as a setback to Tamil Nadu.
Stalin had hit out at the government, saying that Tamil Nadu has been cheated out of its share of water while Karnataka, which did not honour any of the earlier orders of the court, has got a higher share. He also alleged that the ruling AIADMK, with its carelessness, lost all the rights that DMK leader and ex-CM Karunanidhi had achieved for the state in the Cauvery matter.
However, EPS rubbished the allegations saying that all the decisions in the past that worked in the state’s favour were the result of the AIADMK government’s efforts.
The apex court’s verdict, however, saw mixed reactions in Tamil Nadu. The farming community welcomed the judgement, stating that it was looking forward to its implementation while the political parties said the state has been cheated.
"In a way, this is a historical judgment where the apex court has said no state can claim ownership over a river. The Central government should now nationalise the rivers," farmer leader PR Pandian had said.
Many also welcomed the SC's direction to the Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board that will ensure that the verdict is implemented on the ground.
Despite the tribunal's order in the past, Karnataka released less water to its neighbouring state than what had been stipulated. With the formation of the CMB, Karnataka will have no choice but to release TN's share of water, farmers opined.
Political leaders on the other hand opposed reduction in the state's water share. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said it was unfortunate that Tamil Nadu's share has gone down. PMK founder S Ramadoss termed the order an "injustice" to Tamil Nadu even as he welcomed the judgment on the setting up of the management board and also on barring the possibility of any further appeal against the order.
With IANS inputs