Cauvery: DMK for upping the ante, TN govt in wait mode

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday witnessed a debate on the Cauvery issue with the DMK asking the ruling AIADMK to support a no-confidence motion in Parliament to pressure the Centre, while the government said it would wait till March 29.

"There is still time, we need to be patient and see," Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said.

In its final verdict on February 16, the Supreme Court had granted six weeks time to the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance of its 465-page judgement, which modified the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award.

Following the judgment, the state government has been demanding that the Centre immediately constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).

Panneerselvam said the next course of action on the issue would be decided by involving all the parties.

"Together all of us will take a good decision," he said.

Replying to the Leader of Opposition M K Stalin who wanted the AIADMK to support the no-confidence motion to bring pressure on the Centre like TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Panneerselvam asked the DMK leader not to link the two issues.

The deputy chief minister pointed out that his party MPs have been resolutely raising the Cauvery issue in Parliament for the past about a week.

Earlier, Stalin said the apex court's six week deadline would end on March 29.

"Like the chief minister of our neighbouring state (Chandrababu Naidu), who is going ahead with determination to protect the state's (Andhra Pradesh) rights, the no-trust motion in Parliament should be supported with the same determination," he said.

He sought to know if there had been any response from the Centre to a resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly recently urging it to constitute the CWMB and the CWRC within six weeks.

Even if the AIADMK supported the motion, the central government would not fall and there was no scope for that, Stalin said, adding, it was only to pressure the Centre.

Panneerselvam said the opposition leader was trying to create an illusion that the ruling party was not working with determination on the matter and such efforts would not succeed.