Chennai, Aug 19:
At a time when the emotive Cauvery river water and the Mekedatu dam issues have increased tensions between the two neighbours, a possible meeting between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and his Karnataka counterpart D.K. Shivakumar seems to be on the cards in Chennai on August 20.
The likely meeting might take place on the sidelines of the 31st meeting of Southern States Chief Ministers’ during which the vexatious and long standing Cauvery and Mekedatu issues could come for discussions.
The two-day conference is scheduled to be held at a private star hotel in Kovalam on August 19 and 20 under the chairmanship of union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is expected to arrive here tomorrow evening. The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana and union Territory of Puducherry are expected to participate.
The meeting is likely to focus on several issues concerning the southern States, including inter-State river water sharing, border-related disputes and law and order challenges.
According to reports, both Vijay and Shivakumar are likely to meet on the evening of August 20 after the CMs conference. Apart from the Cauvery and the Mekedatu issues, the TN CM was also likely to take up the issue of killing of three Tamils by the Karnataka Forest department personnel on alleged charges of hunting deer in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary forest area three days back, which has triggered a political uproar in TN.
The proposed meeting assumes significance as Vijay had earlier planned to visit Karnataka to discuss the Cauvery issue. His proposed visit drew opposition from leaders in Tamil Nadu, while Shivakumar had subsequently said that Vijay need not visit Karnataka citing the highly volatile situation in his state due to heightened protests by pro-Kannada outfits after the CWMA directed release of 3,500 cusecs of water per day for 15 days to Tamil Nadu.
If the meeting takes place, it could provide an opportunity for the two neighbouring States to mutually discuss the long-standing issues and possibly arrive at a consensus.
On June 7, Vijay, justifying his Bengaluru outreach efforts that dialogue doesn’t mean compromise, told the State Assembly that the ruling TVK has no intention to politicise the emotionlly sensitive Cauvery issue, which was the lifeline of Tamil Nadu, and that the CM-level talks proposed by him at Bengaluru on August 3 was aimed at getting positive signs on the issue from Karnataka to amicably solve it.
Vijay, responding to Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin’s poser as to why the government was hesitant and refusing to convene an all party meeting since Karnataka held similar meetings and has intensified its efforts on Mekedatu dam construction, cited the remarks made in the House in 1969 by the then Opposition leader–when Karnataka took steps to construct some dams–suggesting holding of tripartite talks between the two states along with the Centre to solve the issue.
“Why not we give it a try…I only proposed the CM-level talks with the hope of finding an amicable solution. That’s why I decided to visit Bengaluru to hold talks with the Karnataka Chief Minister”, he said.
Justifying his decision, Vijay said when hostile nations are finding solutions through talks, being a neighbouring state, I thought let’s give it a try and decided to hold talks”.
He said he thought that we will get some positive signs out of the talks.
Referring to remarks by some people that what would happen if the state was humiliated in the talks, the Chief Minister said “I am prepared to bear it for the sake of the people of Tamil Nadu”.
Observing that Cauvery was the lifeline and emotional issue of Tamil Nadu and its farmers and that the TVK government would never compromise on its rights on the issue, he said.