Cauvery issue: situation does not call for meet with anyone, says TN

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has said the present situation does not call for any discussion with anyone over the issue of sharing of Cauvery river water, as the state government was waiting for the final verdict of the Supreme Court.

When asked whether he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his counterpart in Karnataka, where the Assembly polls have concluded, Palaniswami said, "The situation does not call for a meeting with anyone at this stage."

"We have crossed that stage. We have come to a situation where we are awaiting the final verdict from the Supreme Court (on the constitution of Cauvery Management Board)," he said.

"We have been engaged in a legal battle for 32 years (with Karnataka)....," he added.

The Supreme Court had on May 3 taken strong note of the Centre for not framing the Cauvery management scheme to implement its verdict on river water sharing between four southern states, even as Tamil Nadu attacked the union government for its "partisan" attitude saying this was the "end of cooperative federalism."

The Centre had told the top court that Cabinet approval for the scheme could not be obtained since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues were busy in the Karnataka poll campaign.