Tamil Nadu CM, deputy begin hunger strike
Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK leaders, including chief minister Edapaddi Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, launched a hunger strike in Chennai on Tuesday, giving a boost to the protest over the Centre’s delay in setting up a Cauvery Management Board (CMB).
The move came even as state governor Banwarilal Purohit called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi over the issue, which concerns sharing of Cauvery river water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court had in its February 16 verdict asked the Centre to set up the CMB within six weeks, but the deadline lapsed on March 29, with the Centre failing to set up the board and seeking three months time to do so.
The Tamil Nadu government had on Monday moved a contempt petition against the Cenday-long tre in the SC.
Tamil Nadu’s political leaders have alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was acting in favour of Karnataka, which is opposed to the CMB and where assembly elections are due.
Several parties had launched protests over the issue earlier. AIADMK’s ministers and leaders joined on Tuesday with the hunger strike, after taking permission from police. The participation of the chief minister and his deputy, however, came as a surprise as they were not planning to do so.
“The hunger strike is to condemn the central government for not forming the CMB,” the AIADMK said in a statement.
As ministers led the hunger strike in districts, opposition DMK held protests across the state, blocking trains and roads. Traders and shops downed their shutters.
At several places in Chennai and outside, police took protesters into custody.
The DMK has also called for a Tamil Nadu bandh on April 5, when the Prime Minister is expected to visit the state to participate in an exposition.
Reports of protests are coming in from different cities of Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem and Tiruvarur, where farmers were also sitting on dharna.
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