Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said, “When even enemy nations hold parleys to resolve disputes among them, there is nothing wrong with neighbouring states holding discussions.”
He said this while replying to a special call attention motion in the State Assembly on the Cauvery water-sharing issue and the proposed Mekedatu dam project.
பகை நாடுகளே பேசித் தீர்க்க பார்க்கும் போது, பக்கத்து மாநிலத்துடன் பேசிப் பார்த்தால் என்ன என்று நினைத்தேன்.#CMJosephVijay | #TNDIPR | @TVKVijayHQ | @imrajmohan | pic.twitter.com/X8UBhJp0KX
— TN DIPR (@TNDIPRNEWS) August 8, 2026
CM Vijay made it clear that his government remained firm in taking the legal course. At the same time, he said he felt it was worth making an attempt to visit Bengaluru to meet Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar.
He said, “I see it as a positive step towards resolving the issue. Even if I have to face humiliation in that attempt or there is a setback at the dialogue table, I am prepared to do so for the sake of the people of Tamil Nadu. There were conflicting views on my proposed visit.”
The Tamil Nadu government, on August 3, moved the Supreme Court against Karnataka, accusing the Karnataka State of failing to release its share of Cauvery water in accordance with directions issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).
The petition was filed on the instructions of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay after Karnataka allegedly refused to release the required amount of Cauvery water despite repeated directions from the river authorities.
On July 28, at its 139th meeting, the CWRC reviewed the hydrological and meteorological conditions in the Cauvery basin and directed Karnataka to ensure the release of 3,500 cusecs of water per second at Biligundlu for 15 days, from July 29 to August 12, by releasing water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs. It was subsequently reaffirmed by the CWMA during its 54th emergency meeting on July 30 after reviewing the basin’s water availability and rainfall conditions.
At an all-party meeting on August 2, chaired by CM DK Shivakumar, the DMK’s move to the SC and the water situation in dams were discussed.
CM Shivakumar said, “We are releasing a limited quantity of water through canals following heavy rain in catchment areas, only to fill lakes and tanks meant for drinking water purposes and not for irrigation.”
Meanwhile, DMK MP and SC advocate R Wilson moved a notice under Rule 267 before Parliament seeking to pass the following resolution.
In a post on X, he attached the notice, saying, “If immediate release of 7,000 cusecs water is not done, the standing Kuruvai crop in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruchirappalli, and the other delta districts will wither; the ensuing Samba cultivation will be imperilled; and the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu risks being reduced to a desert, destroying the livelihoods of lakhs of farmers and agricultural labourers. Karnataka is simultaneously pressing the Mekedatu Project, which would further impound the river upstream to the grave detriment of the lower riparian State, and against which the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has unanimously resolved on 19.06.2026.”
Wilson said, “I therefore request that the business of the House be suspended under Rule 267 to enable an immediate discussion and to pass a resolution that the Union Government direct the Karnataka Government to immediately release 7,000 cusecs of water per day at Biligundlu to make good the backlog due to Tamil Nadu as per the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgment dated 16 February 2018, stop the Mekedatu Project completely, and constitute a Tribunal under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, as per Tamil Nadu Government Letter dated 04.03.2026.”
I have moved a notice under Rule 267 before Parliament seeking to pass the following resolution:-
“If immediate release of 7000 cusses water is not done, the standing Kuruvai crop in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur,
Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruchirappalli, and the other delta… pic.twitter.com/opgrwGi9Z2— P. Wilson (@PWilsonDMK) August 3, 2026
TN Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar told media persons on August 2, accusing Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar and DMK president MK Stalin’s family of sharing a cordial relationship that went beyond politics. He alleged Shivakumar wanted the DMK to return to power and would listen to the DMK leaders’ family, who have stakes in Karnataka, rather than the Congress leadership.
Earlier, he had consulted CM Joseph Vijay on moving the SC against Karnataka on the Cauvery water issue. He said multiple petitions filed on behalf of the same State before the apex court would create confusion and affect Tamil Nadu’s rights.
Some social media posts claimed that after getting an alert from Karnataka, the DMK moved a petition in the SC on the water release issue. Another cited a book written by former Karnataka CM SM Krishna titled “Smritivahini”, saying DMK leader M Karunanidhi asked him (Krishna) not to release Cauvery water as it would benefit the AIADMK government politically.
TN State BJP leader Nainar Nagendran charged that whenever the Congress was elected to power in Karnataka, the farmers of Tamil Nadu were cheated. He also rejected claims being made by TNCC Chief B Manickam Thagore over the Cauvery water dispute between TN and Karnataka.
DMK legal wing deputy secretary Paranthaman took strong exception to Nirmal Kumar’s comments, saying it was Karunanidhi who had secured the establishment of the Cauvery water disputes tribunal.
Nirmal Kumar took exception to DMK chief MK Stalin’s comments that CM Vijay, while trying to go it alone in the Cauvery water issue, was left isolated. The Karnataka CM had convened an all-party meeting for August 2.
BJP TN spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi said, “In the Cauvery issue, the Mekedatu project is the permanent solution. Both states should jointly hold talks and amicably resolve the Mekedatu issue. The Mekedatu project will benefit Tamil Nadu more than Karnataka,” says Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
“In the Cauvery issue, the Mekedatu project is the permanent solution. Both states should jointly hold talks and amicably resolve the Mekedatu issue. The Mekedatu project will benefit Tamil Nadu more than Karnataka,” says Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
In the Cauvery…
— Narayanan Thirupathy (@narayanantbjp) August 3, 2026
He said, “In the Cauvery issue, the formation of the Cauvery Management Authority was the final and the permanent solution. It was only because the two states were unable to hold joint talks that the Management Board was constituted as per the Supreme Court judgment. Rather than benefiting Karnataka more, the Mekedatu project will severely affect Tamil Nadu.”
