Tamil Nadu CM Vijay Affirms Firm Stance on Cauvery Water and Mekedatu Dam

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay stated in the state assembly on Friday that his government will not compromise on the state's rights regarding Cauvery water sharing or the opposition to Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir. Vijay confirmed that his administration remains firm in pursuing the matter through legal means and has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request that no legal or administrative approval be granted for the Mekedatu project, citing the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and Supreme Court rulings.

During the session, Vijay defended a previously proposed visit to Bengaluru to meet Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, an initiative that was ultimately shelved after Karnataka rejected the meeting. Vijay took personal ownership of the proposal, stating that he believed dialogue could be a valuable tool even in intractable disputes. He noted that he was prepared to endure public humiliation for the sake of the people of Tamil Nadu if the outreach had failed. Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin criticized the government's handling of the issue, demanding an all party meeting and arguing that the state's farmers require drought relief funds rather than standard relief packages.

While political tensions persisted in the assembly, the dispute manifested in public protests in Karnataka. In Mandya, activists from the Karunada Vijaya Sene stalled the screening of a film starring Chief Minister Vijay, titled Jana Nayagan, as part of wider protests by farmers against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the BJP in Karnataka has urged the state government to appeal to the Supreme Court to protect the interests of local farmers during a period of drought.