TN BJP accuses DMK-Cong of politicising Cauvery issue

Chennai, Oct 15: BJP's Tamil Nadu unit today accused DMK and Congress of politicising the Cauvery issue and asserted the Centre was not going back on setting up the Cauvery Management Board.

Party state President Tamilisai Soundararajan charged the DMK and Congress parties with "not doing anything" on the Cauvery issue when they were in power in the State and Centre respectively.

Speaking to reporters at airport she said the two parties were now alleging that BJP had not protected the interests of farmers of Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu.

She said the DMK did not "focus on harnessing water resources, and rain water harvesting," during its tenure in Tamil Nadu.

"Making such an accusation (against BJP) is blatantly wrong," she said against the backdrop of allegations by Tamil Nadu parties including the DMK and Congress for "betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu and farmers."

After the Central government recently told the Supreme Court that setting up the CMB fell in the domain of Parliament, and took a stance against immediately setting up the Board, the Saffron party became the target for attack by all the parties in Tamil Nadu including the ruling and Opposition.

BJP said the Centre was not going back on setting up the Cauvery Management Board. By complying with norms, she said the Centre would take a decision on the issue after a high-level committee submitted its report in Supreme Court on the ground situation in the Cauvery Basin regions of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

She expressed confidence that "CMB will be set up" by the Centre.

Soundararajan lauded Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for taking legal efforts on the Cauvery issue and for approaching the Supreme Court. She said if the DMK led an all party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mukherjee on the issue, her party will not participate in it.

She, however, said BJP will be part of such initiatives by the Tamil Nadu government.

PTI