CHENNAI: DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant on Friday (August 7) urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to lead a delegation to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a lasting resolution to the Cauvery water dispute and opposing Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu reservoir project.

Participating in the debate on the Revised Budget and Revised Agriculture Budget 2026-27 in the Assembly, the Vriddhachalam MLA said political parties should remain united on issues concerning Tamil Nadu's rights, including Cauvery water sharing, the Mekedatu project and NEET.

"Karnataka has a duty to release our share of water. We are not seeking surplus water; we are only demanding what rightfully belongs to Tamil Nadu," she said, urging the Chief Minister to take all political parties along while raising the State's concerns before the Centre.

Responding to CM Vijay's remarks saying that he was ready to “face humiliation” over any Karnataka visit to resolve the issues, the DMDK MLA said, "If Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister is humiliated during the visit, the entire State will rise in protest. Karnataka has no authority to insult our Chief Minister. The people and farmers of Tamil Nadu will stand firmly behind him," she said, urging him not to shy away from such a meeting.

Premallatha also said welfare schemes benefiting the public should continue irrespective of which government introduced them, as they were funded by taxpayers' money. She reiterated her demand for carving out Vriddhachalam as a separate district and called for immediate steps to address delays in paddy procurement, saying farmers were bearing the brunt.

Claiming that Tasmac outlets continued to function despite the government's announcement on closures, she urged the ruling dispensation to fulfil its electoral promises.

She also appealed to Speaker JCD Prabhakar to introduce biometric attendance for MLAs and ensure supply of bottled drinking water in the Assembly throughout the session.