COIMBATORE: BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Monday said the central government has no direct role in the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, asserting that the issue falls within the jurisdiction of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
Addressing reporters in Erode after paying tributes to freedom fighter Dheeran Chinnamalai at his memorial in Odanilai near Arachalur, Nagenthran said the BJP had no intention of politicising the Cauvery issue.
Questioning Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's handling of the dispute, Nagenthran said the State government should have convened an all-party meeting to discuss the issue before it became a political controversy. "The Congress leaders have also failed to take a clear stand on the Cauvery dispute," he said.
Expressing confidence that Karnataka would not be permitted to construct the proposed Mekedatu dam, Nagenthran said the CWMA, acting under the directions of the Supreme Court, has full authority over the matter and would not grant approval for the project.
Referring to the CWMA's direction to Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water a day for 15 days to Tamil Nadu, he said that the directive had not been complied with and claimed that Tamil Nadu had historically received only surplus water from Karnataka. Nagenthran also said that TVK functionaries in Tirunelveli had begun demanding a 10 per cent commission in connection with public works tenders.