Communist Party of India (CPI) leader R. Mutharasan on Saturday (August 1, 2026) said that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government must immediately convene an all-party meeting, also inviting representatives of farmers’ associations, to build a consensus on the Cauvery issue.

Speaking to journalists in Tiruchi, Mr. Mutharasan said parties in Karnataka were speaking in a united voice on the Cauvery issue. In order to avoid different opinions being expressed in Tamil Nadu on this critical issue, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay should immediately convene an all-party meeting to build a consensus and take steps to ensure that Tamil Nadu gets its due share of water and block efforts by the Karnataka government to construct a dam at Mekedatu, Mr. Mutharasan said.

He said kuruvai cultivation had been badly hit in Tamil Nadu, with farmers unable to get an adequate three-phase power supply and groundwater levels depleting rapidly. Farmers found it difficult to cultivate using pump sets. As farmers faced a huge problem during the kuruvai season, the State government, which had in its possession a detailed list of kuruvai farmers, should provide adequate relief to them, Mr. Mutharasan said.

The Cauvery issue is not a problem faced by a particular party or a government in Tamil Nadu to resolve but one that confronts the entire State. Hence, the Chief Minister should meet the Prime Minister in New Delhi on behalf of all political parties in Tamil Nadu and take steps to ensure that the State gets its due share of water and that the construction of a dam at Mekedatu is blocked, he said.

Published - August 01, 2026 04:06 pm IST