Ayyakkannu can't be allowed to protest for more than 5 days: TN govt to HC

The Tamil Nadu government today submitted in the Madras High Court that farmer leader P Ayyakannu can't be permitted to hold a hunger strike for more than five days on the Cauvery issue, that too not at the Marina beach here.

Additional Advocate General P H Arvind Pandian submitted that the authorities were ready to give permission, provided Ayyakannu agreed to protest in select places for a period of five days.

The AAG made the submission when the petition filed by Ayyakannu seeking direction to the city police commissioner to permit him to stage a hunger strike at the Marina, demanding constitution of Cauvery Management Board for 90 continuous days came up before Justice T Raja.

Justice Raja after directing the AAG to file an affidavit, posted the matter for further hearing to April 17.

It is in this regard, the judge yesterday advised Ayyakannu's counsel to inform his client not to resort to naked protests, as he did in Delhi recently.

According to the petitioner, the CMB is a long-pending demand of Tamil Nadu.

The state government filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking constitution of the board to get its due share of water from river Cauvery, he said.

A Supreme Court order had granted six weeks time to the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance of its 465-page judgement on the decades-old Cauvery dispute.

The deadline expired on March 29.

Yet, the central government failed to constitute the board, Ayyakannu observed.

"Therefore, demanding immediate constitution of CMB, we have planned to observe a hunger strike in Marina," he said.

"Since Chennai does not have a vast ground to organise, we might be permitted to stage our protest in Marina," he further submitted.

On February 16, the apex court had raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's share while compensating the latter by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin.

Following last year's massive pro-Jallikattu protests, the police have prohibited protests, demonstration or processions at Marina.