ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

TN will wait till Aug 12 before deciding on action

The Tamil Nadu government will wait till August 12, when the Union government is slated to submit its draft scheme before the Supreme Court for implementation of the Cauvery water dispute tribunal's interim award.

Reacting to the last and final adjournment granted to the Centre by the three-member bench of the apex court this morning, Karunanidhi told newspersons at the state secretariat in Madras: "Let us wait till August 12."

On the Karnataka MPs' complaint to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee that Tamil Nadu was exerting undue pressure on the Centre over the issue, the chief minister said, "We are not exerting any pressure. We are only seeking our legitimate rights."

Asked whether he thought the adjournment granted to the Centre would affect the interests of Tamil Nadu, he said: "Nothing will happen in three weeks' time."

Karunanidhi also disclosed that he would try and meet Vajpayee to discuss the issue during his visit to Delhi on August 5.

Asked about All India Anna DMK chief J Jayalalitha's allegation that the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Tamil Maanila Congress had done nothing to resolve the Cauvery issue when they were part of the previous United Front regime at the Centre, Karunanidhi said he did not want to respond to baseless charges. The tribunal itself was constituted in 1990 by the then National Front government led by V P Singh, of which the DMK was a constituent, he recalled.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report