Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay, has decided to defer his proposed visit to Bengaluru August 3 after Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, requested that the meeting be postponed amid heightened political and public tensions over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute.
The proposed visit, which was expected to mark the first direct engagement between the two Chief Ministers on the long-pending Cauvery issue, was put on hold following developments in Karnataka after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed the State to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from July 29.
The directive triggered widespread protests in several parts of Karnataka, prompting the State government to seek a postponement of the talks.
Before taking a final decision on the visit, Chief Minister Vijay held detailed consultations with senior officials of the Water Resources Department to assess the prevailing situation and the likely implications of proceeding with the meeting.
During these discussions, Karnataka conveyed that the prevailing atmosphere was not conducive for holding bilateral talks at this stage, sources said.
The proposed dialogue had originally been initiated at the request of Chief Minister Vijay, with Karnataka expressing willingness to discuss key inter-state issues, including the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute and the controversial Mekedatu reservoir project.
However, the situation changed after the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) rejected Karnataka’s plea to stay the CWRC’s order directing the release of water to Tamil Nadu.
The dispute has since sparked widespread protests across Karnataka, particularly in the Mandya region.
Demonstrators reportedly tore posters of CM Vijay’s recently released film ‘Jana Nayagan’ and forced the screening of the film to be halted at some theatres, reflecting the heightened public sentiment surrounding the water dispute.
Despite the developments, the Tamil Nadu government has not issued any official statement announcing the postponement of the Bengaluru visit.
Sources indicated that a fresh date for the meeting would be considered after reviewing the evolving situation in Karnataka.
The proposed talks were expected to focus on two of the most contentious issues between the neighbouring States — the implementation of the Cauvery water-sharing mechanism and Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project.
Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the Mekedatu project, arguing that it could adversely affect the State’s rightful share of Cauvery waters.
Meanwhile, the proposed meeting had drawn criticism from several Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, including the DMK, AIADMK, PMK, AMMK and the Left parties, all of which have opposed holding bilateral talks with Karnataka under the present circumstances.
