Form Cauvery Management Board soon, Tamil Nadu parties urge Centre

The ruling AIADMK termed the Tuesday verdict as historic one and another jewel in the crown for party supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s unrelenting efforts on the Cauvery issue, DMK described it as “the light at the end of the tunnel.”

AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi said, “It was Jayalalithaa who got a Supreme Court verdict to get the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal published in the Union Government Gazette. Now, she has found a permanent solution by getting a verdict to form the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and Cauvery Regulation Committee (CRC),” she added. 

DMK chief M Karunanidhi said, “This verdict is a reward for years of grief and tears of farmers of Tamil Nadu.” He urged the central government to constitute the CMB and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CRC) immediately. 

“The Centre should not try to find more ways to delay the constitution of the CMB and the CRC for political reasons. The AIADMK government should also use its “strength and clout” to ensure that the CMB and the CRC are constituted at the earliest,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. 

MDMK leader Vaiko, who had consistently expressed support to Jayalalithaa’s legal initiative, also hailed the Supreme court order and wanted the Centre to respect it. TNCC president Su Thirunavukkarasar appealed to the Centre to form the CMB immediately. CPM state secretary G Ramakrishnan and CPI state secretary R Mutharasan too urged the Centre to implement the order without any further delay. 

Expressing delight over the SC verdict, PMK youth wing leader and Lok Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss said a lasting solution to the Cauvery water issue could be achieved only with the creation of Cauvery Water Management Board.

BJP state unit chief Tamilisai Soundararajan said that there were some legal hurdles for the Centre to set up the CMB, which was now cleared by the Apex Court. She urged the Centre to take steps to set up the CMB. 

Meanwhile, the farmers in Cauvery Delta areas were in a jubilant mood following the Apex Court verdict. President of Tamil Nadu All Farmers’ Federation P R Pandian welcomed the verdict “whole heartedly”. He said farmers were now confident that the CMB would order release of water to farmers in accordance with the needs and without any political interference.