He stands isolated: MK Stalin corners CM Vijay over Cauvery issue with Karnataka

MK Stalin said Tamil Nadu's past experience showed that legal recourse was the only effective way to deal with Karnataka on the Cauvery dispute, alleging that the neighbouring state had repeatedly refused to release Tamil Nadu's share of water and treated it merely as an outlet for surplus flows.

In Short

• Stalin urges Vijay to build consensus in Tamil Nadu, hold all-party meeting
• He claims legal action is the only way to secure Cauvery water
• Stalin contrasts Vijay's approach with that of Karnataka CM Shivakumar

DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday attacked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over his handling of the Cauvery dispute, saying his attempt to engage Karnataka despite warnings from political parties and farmers' groups had left him "isolated".

The former Chief Minister said Vijay should instead build political consensus within Tamil Nadu and demanded that he convene an all-party meeting on the issue.

"The Chief Minister sought to go it alone, and now stands isolated," Stalin wrote on X.

Stalin said political parties and farmers' associations in Tamil Nadu had warned the Chief Minister against seeking talks with Karnataka over the Mekedatu dam issue, arguing that such negotiations were unlikely to yield results.

He said Tamil Nadu's past experience showed that legal recourse was the only effective way to deal with Karnataka on the Cauvery dispute, alleging that the neighbouring state had repeatedly refused to release Tamil Nadu's share of water and treated it merely as an outlet for surplus flows.

Taking a swipe at CM Vijay, Stalin said the Chief Minister perhaps believed that a personal visit to Karnataka would enable him to "bring back the Cauvery waters" with him.

"Perhaps the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu believed that if he personally visited Karnataka, he could bring back the Cauvery waters with him. Ignoring our repeated warnings, he initiated efforts to visit Karnataka," Stalin said.

According to the DMK chief, Karnataka subsequently indicated that there was no need for Vijay to visit after the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) directed it to release water to Tamil Nadu.

Stalin said this was precisely the kind of situation that political parties and farmers' groups in Tamil Nadu had warned Vijay against.

"At least from now on, the Chief Minister should approach the Cauvery issue, an issue of survival for Tamil Nadu, through consultation and consensus," he said.

STALIN QUESTIONS VIJAY OVER ALL-PARTY MEETING

Stalin also contrasted Vijay's approach with that of Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has convened an all-party meeting on August 2.

"After telling the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister not to visit, the Karnataka Chief Minister has now convened an all-party meeting on August 2, demonstrating through his actions that political unity exists in his state," Stalin said.

He then challenged Vijay to follow suit in Tamil Nadu.

"When will the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister convene an all-party meeting? Can it be done, or can it not?" he asked.

DMK MOUTHPIECE EARLIER TARGETED CM VIJAY

Stalin's attack comes a day after DMK mouthpiece Murasoli criticised the Chief Minister over his proposed outreach to Karnataka, alleging that talks would do little to protect Tamil Nadu's interests in the Cauvery dispute.

In an editorial on July 31, Murasoli alleged that Vijay wanted to hold talks with Karnataka merely to claim that his government had taken action on the issue.

Taking a swipe at the Chief Minister, the editorial said a Karnataka visit might help Vijay "shoot a video in front of a dam" but would do little to help Tamil Nadu's farmers.

It alleged that this prevented the TVK government from strongly confronting the Congress government in Karnataka and accused the two sides of trying to mislead Tamil Nadu's farmers through talks.

"The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister must refrain from holding talks with Karnataka in a manner that compromises Tamil Nadu's rights," the editorial said.

The DMK mouthpiece also sought to link the Cauvery dispute to the political relationship between the TVK and Congress, pointing out that Karnataka is ruled by the Congress while the Vijay government in Tamil Nadu depends on the party's support.

THE ROW OVER MEKEDATU PROJECT

The renewed political and legal tensions over the long-running Cauvery water-sharing dispute come after the CM Vijay-led government passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly opposing the Mekedatu project.

Karnataka has maintained that the project is intended to meet Bengaluru's growing drinking water needs and generate hydroelectric power, while repeatedly arguing that it will not adversely affect Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery water.

The project proposes the construction of a reservoir across the Cauvery near its confluence with the Arkavathi River in the Kanakapura region of Ramanagara district. It is designed to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and generate 400 megawatts of hydroelectric power.

Earlier, Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the rejection of Karnataka's Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Mekedatu, reiterating Tamil Nadu's opposition to any new storage structure on the Cauvery without the consent of downstream states.

- Ends