Tamil Nadu CM, Dy CM surprise all by joining protest on Cauvery issue

CHENNAI: The furore over the Centre’s delay in setting up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) refused to die down in Tamil Nadu as cadres of the ruling AIADMK government gathered for statewide hunger strikes on Tuesday.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam joined protests near the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday morning, leaving cadres and the state police surprised.

Participation by the duo and senior AIADMK ministers in protests comes in the backdrop of a growing number of protests led by the opposition parties in the state. Hunger protests were observed by AIADMK cadre in Virudhunagar, Dindigul, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi, Theni, Sivaganga, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Ramanathapuram among other regions in the State.


Both the chief minister and deputy chief minister at the conclusion of the hunger strike said that the DMK had tried to politicise the Cauvery Management Board issue by blaming the AIADMK of ‘staging a drama’ in the form of a one-day hunger protest.

DMK working president MK Stalin on Tuesday had alleged that the AIADMK government didn’t convene an all-party meeting to condemn the Centre on the Cauvery issue as it lacked the courage to do so. Speaking to reporters, he said: “If they had real concern for the farmers and are interested in protecting their livelihood, they should have convened an all party meeting and adopted a resolution condemning the Centre for its failure to constitute the Cauvery Management Board.”

Even as protests continued across Tamil Nadu, Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted for the 19th consecutive day due to protests by AIADMK members demanding the formation of the board.

Lok Sabha deputy speaker and AIADMK’s MP M Thambidurai, speaking to media persons in Delhi, said: “The assurance from the CJI that Tamil Nadu will get its rightful share of water is a victory for AIADMK cadres who have been protesting for so long.”