Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay opened the sluices of the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur on Tuesday for irrigation in the Cauvery delta districts.
By getting the Tamil Nadu assembly to act on his very imaginative public declaration to keep petro-chemical industries out of the Cauvery delta, which has traditionally been a DMK stronghold, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has not only set the ball rolling for the assembly elections due a year later but also sent out a strong message to the BJP government at the Centre, which took a unilateral decision to exempt petro-complexes from environmental clearance, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced the withdrawal of police cases against farmers who protested against the Parandur airport and SIPCOT projects, and against teachers who protested for their rights. The decision, made on humanitarian and democratic grounds, aims to strengthen democratic rights and public trust in the government.
Change of guard in some states and evolving El Nino dynamics are triggering fresh actions on raging water-sharing disputes in several states.
For Chellam, an elderly resident of Tamil Nadu's Salem district, Tuesday began like any other hard day on the field. But by afternoon, a fleeting encounter with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay transformed an ordinary workday into a memory she says she will cherish for the rest of her life - one she compares to winning a "crore of rupees."
Udhayanidhi Stalin, was detained by police following alleged derogatory remarks against actor Trisha, which he dismisses as a 'fake narrative'.
Flood warning has been issued in delta districts of Tamil Nadu. Stanley reservoir dangerously close to full level.
In Tiruppur (North), where the TVK victory margin of 69,992 votes was higher than the 61,760 votes polled by the major Dravidian parties combined -- DMK got 351 votes and AIADMK 61,409 votes.
A meeting of Tamil Nadu MPs, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, unanimously decided to oppose the Union government's proposed delimitation exercise, demanding its complete withdrawal and an extension of the delimitation freeze for another 25 years.
The Tamil Nadu government has appointed film producer K Venkata Narayana as the state's special representative to the government in New Delhi, evoking sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party and other opposition parties on Friday.
Vijay, who spoke on the fishermen issues in nearby Nagapattinam, sported a green headgear and addressed farmers' grievances and sought an answer from CM Stalin.
In good news for farmers of Cauvery delta region in Tamil Nadu facing a grim crop situation due to drought like condition, Karnataka has released over 12,000 cusecs of water into the inter-state river with the Kabini dam surplusing following heavy rains in its catchment areas.
Today, with the Lok Sabha polls only months away, any inter-state dispute over the Cauvery water dispute has the potential to take more political turns than otherwise, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
'The Cauvery is not dependable as Karnataka will never consider our needs.'
The AIADMK's Rajya Sabha members will join the DMK-led all-party delegation that will meet the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on June 8 to demand Cauvery water from Karnataka.
Cyclone Ditwah is moving towards the Tamil Nadu coast, bringing the threat of heavy rainfall. The state government is reviewing preparedness measures, and a red alert has been issued for southern and delta districts.
'The Cauvery river has become excessively politicised by all political parties.' 'They see a vote bank in an emotive issue of this kind.'
Cyclone Ditwah exits Sri Lanka after causing widespread destruction and over 120 deaths, heading towards the Indian coast. Heavy rains and high winds are expected to continue.
Leading an agitation at the Egmore Railway station in Chennai, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Secretary Vaiko and VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan, along with several workers including those from the Left parties, blocked an express train.
Considering that the Supreme Court has now included two, rather three, new variable to the tribunal's findings, it could imply that whenever the current order comes in for review, the two states could raise specific issues flowing from them, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Thursday's Opposition-sponsored bandh did not bring Tamil Nadu to a standstill.
'According to politicians, farmers are the fourth grade citizens of India.' 'We farmers could meet the prime minister and ministers during Congress rule.' 'But none of the BJP ministers want to even meet us.' 'The prime minister has time only for foreigners, but has no time to meet us farmers.'
Farmers and opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on Monday staged rail roko agitation at various places in the state demanding the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board immediately.
Verifiable 'distress-sharing' of available water may still be the way out of the Cauvery water row, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam led the strike against the Centre.
Rail and road blockade, demonstrations, and impromptu rallies by the Opposition marked the shutdown in the state affecting normal life to some extent.
Flight services were disrupted in Karnataka while in Tamil Nadu, heavy rains battered Karur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and coastal Pudukkottai and Nagapattinam districts.
Normal life returned in various parts of the state, including the Cauvery Delta districts, as there were no rains since Thursday.
Siddaramaiah added that all efforts would be made to provide drinking water to Bengaluru and other places as also for crops.
Widespread rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, prompting authorities to declare a holiday for schools in Chennai and many other districts.
For the first time in three decades, Nungambakkam, a core city area recorded 8 cmin a single day and suburban Red Hills 13 cm followed by 12 cm in Perambur, also in the city.
Thousands of police personnel have been deployed across the state to maintain law and order.
Issues including the Rafale deal, construction of Ram Temple and Cauvery river water caused disruptions in the House.
R Gandhi and K N Nehru, as ministers for handlooms-textiles and municipal administration respectively, would report to Chief Minister Stalin.
Jayalalithaa, recuperating at a corporate hospital in Chennai, said she could not attend the meeting as she was hospitalised.
Under the deal, the PMK will be supporting the AIADMK in the bypolls expected to 21 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, he said.
Protests against release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu snowballed in the river basin areas on Thursday, as a central team arrived in Bangalore to assess the water storage levels.
Over the medium and long term, the BJP hopes to devour the AIADMK, they having identified the party as 'ideologically not as sound as the DMK', predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
