With the sit-in protest embarked by the farmers of Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee (CRRC) in front of the collector’s office here continuing for the successive 16th day today, Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister R Duraikkannu , in a bid to appease the agitating farmers, visited the agitation venue and held talks with them.
The agriculture minister, during the talks, appealed to the farmers to call off their stir. He also assured that he would arrange for them to meet Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy.
The agitating farmers, however, stuck to their gun and announced that their agitation would continue till Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy made a statement assuring that the proposed single tribunal would not be set up to hear all the inter-state water disputes and the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) would be established by the central government.
Rajya Sabha member and former minister R Vaithilingam, MLA M Rengasamy also accompanied the minister. Besides, Collector A Annadurai, Superintendent of Police (SP) J Mahesh, Additional Superintendent of Police (Additional SP) Kannan were also present.
During the talks, Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee coordinator P Maniyarasan pointed out that the central government had not taken any measure to establish the Cauvery Management Board. He also alleged that the state government had also not questioned the centre anything about this.
Maniyarasan also pointed out that Karnataka had not released 2000 cusecs of water from Cauvery though Supreme Court had ordered to do so thrice.
Responding to his charges, minister Duraikkannu said that he and Thambithurai, deputy speaker of Lok Sabha, had met the Union Home Minister and Union Agriculture Minister and also had urged them to release water.
Then, CRRC coordinator Maniyarasan said that the state government should convene an all party meeting and pressurize the central government in this regard.
Later, talking to media persons, minister Duraikkannu said that the government would stand by the agitating farmers till they get a good solution. “We will also apprise the chief minister of the concerns expressed by the agitating farmers with regard to establishment of single tribunal and their demand to establish the Cauvery Management Board. We will also urge the chief minister to take necessary measures to fulfill their demands”, minister Duraikkannu said.
CRRC coordinator Maniyarasan, addressing the media persons, said that whether to meet the chief minister or not would be decided in consultation with our team only after the CM had made a statement assuring that our demands would be fulfilled.