'TN MPs must resign if PM refuses to meet them on Cauvery issue'

DMK leader M.K. Stalin on Saturday upped the ante on the Cauvery water issue, suggesting to Chief Minister K. Palaniswami that the parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu should resign if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not meet the all-party delegation from the state.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Palaniswami at the state secretariat on the Cauvery water issue, Stalin said there was also a suggestion to convene the Assembly and pass a resolution to meet the Prime Minister.

Stalin said the refusal of Modi to meet the all party delegation from the state is an insult to Tamil Nadu as a whole.

On February 22, at a meeting of leaders of all political parties and representatives of farmer associations here, it was decided Palaniswami would lead a delegation to meet Modi and urge him to set up Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee -- as the Supreme Court had mandated.

The PMK had announced a major protest if the apex court order was not followed.

On Saturday Palaniswami met Stalin to discuss the Cauvery issue.

According to Stalin, Chief Minister Palaniswami told him that Modi had suggested the all party delegation from Tamil Nadu to meet the Union Minister for Water Resources first.

Stalin said when Modi can meet Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam or the Chief Minister Palaniswami for other reasons it is an insult to Tamil Nadu that the Prime Minister is not willing to meet the all-party delegation from the state.

Stalin said he has told Palaniswami to wait till Monday for a communication from the Prime Minister's Office. If there is no message from the PMO then the assembly should be convened on March 8 and pass a resolution to meet Modi.

Responding to Stalin's charge, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D.Jayakumar said Modi has not refused to meet the all party delegation from Tamil Nadu but had suggested to meet the Union Minister for Water Resource first.

On Stalin's suggestion to convene the assembly, Jayakumar said the Chief Minister had said a decision would be taken after deliberating on that.

The Supreme Court had on February 16, while ordering the central government to set up the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee within six weeks, had also reduced Tamil Nadu's share in the waters to 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), down from 192 TMC allocated by a tribunal in 2007.

--IANS

vj/in/vm