AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to avoid meeting his Karnataka counterpart in connection with the Cauvery water row.

Speaking to reporters in Salem, Mr. Palaniswami said in 2018, the Supreme Court gave a detailed and clear verdict on the Cauvery issue. As per that verdict, the Karnataka government should share water with Tamil Nadu. But even after the Supreme Court verdict, the Karnataka did not provide water to Tamil Nadu.

“The present Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, strongly speaks for the construction of the Mekedatu Dam. If that dam (balancing reservoir) is constructed, the delta region would turn into a desert, and 20 districts in Tamil Nadu will not get drinking water,” he said.

“The TVK government brought a resolution in Assembly against the Mekedatu dam. The Chief Minister included the clause (for a tribunal) suggested by the opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin in that resolution and the AIADMK moved the court against this. Information is coming that Chief Minister Vijay is going to meet Mr. Shivakumar in Bengaluru. This meeting should be avoided. The Karnataka Chief Minister said he is ready to welcome the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and a helicopter is kept ready to show the dams in Karnataka. This shows Karnataka is not ready to open water to Tami Nadu,” he added.

Demanding an all-party meeting on the Mekedatu issue, Mr. Palaniswami said many party leaders were also seeking the same. But the Chief Minister did not comment on this issue. This is a sensitive issue and related to the livelihood of farmers and the government should understand this, he said.

Adverting to other issues, Mr Palaniswami said, during election time, the TVK promised to waive the crop loans of farmers in cooperative banks. But after coming to power, the TVK government did not fulfill its promise properly. Due to the non-availability of water for irrigation and no rain, farmers are suffering. So the government should waive the farmers’ loans and make an announcement in the agricultural budget on August 6. If not, AIADMK will lead a massive protest across the state, Mr. Palaniswami added.

The AIADMK leader said Mr. Vijay was responsible for safeguarding the livelihood of the people but he remained “silent”. In the Assembly the Chief Minister also did not reply to the questions raised by all parties, he claimed.

During the drought that prevailed during the erstwhile AIADMK regime, steps were taken to address the issue. Likewise, while water scarcity prevailed in Chennai, the AIADMK government (headed by Jayalalithaa) brought water by train. Now that situation is going to rise in Chennai but the present TVK government is sleeping, he claimed.

“Losing 151 super-speciality seats is regrettable and proves the government was not capable of handling the issues,” Mr. Palaniswami added.

Published - July 31, 2026 06:07 pm IST