EPS must press Modi to secure Cauvery water: Tagore

CHENNAI: TNCC president B Manickam Tagore on Friday (July 10) urged the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to immediately intervene and ensure the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, while accusing AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of adopting a double standard by failing to press the BJP-led Union government on the issue.

In a statement, Tagore said farmers in the Cauvery delta were facing severe hardship due to the water shortage and stressed that the CWMA had a statutory responsibility to secure Tamil Nadu's rightful share of Cauvery water in accordance with the Supreme Court's verdict.

He urged the authority to act without delay and direct Karnataka to comply with its legal obligation to release water.

Rejecting attempts to portray the dispute as a political contest between Congress leaders in different states, Tagore said the issue was one between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and directly affected the livelihood of farmers in the delta. He asserted that the Tamil Nadu Congress would continue to stand firmly with the state's farmers.

Tagore also questioned why Palaniswami had not sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention or objected to statements by Karnataka BJP leaders opposing the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Alleging that the AIADMK had remained silent because of its alliance with the BJP, he said the party was unwilling to strongly defend Tamil Nadu's rights before the Union government.

Claiming that the AIADMK's stand amounted to political posturing, Tagore said the people of Tamil Nadu would not accept any compromise on the State's water rights.