DK Shivakumar Welcomes CM Stalin In Bangalore; TN BJP Had Warned Of Protests If He Returns Without Opposing Mekedatu Project

Chief Minister MK Stalin was welcomed by Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on his arrival in Bangalore today (17 July) for the meeting of opposition parties.

Shivakumar has been vocal about going ahead with the Mekedatu project on the Cauvery River, which Tamil Nadu has been opposed to. The project was also part of the Congress' manifesto during the recently held Assembly elections.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai had earlier stated that BJP workers would protest with black flags and chant 'Go Back Stalin' on his return to the state if he does not take up the issue strongly.

Annamalai also said that Shivakumar was adamant about getting the Mekedatu project (which is located near his constituency) done because he and the Congress party have a vested interest in it.

Further, he alleged that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was going soft on the issue because its ally Congress is in power in Karnataka.

Days later, the state's Water Resources minister Duraimurugan visited Delhi to meet Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to demand a fair share of Cauvery water.

After the meeting he said that while the state should have received 12.213 TMC of water for till date including the month of June, it has received only 2.993 TMC, leading to a deficit of 9.220 TMC.

He also mentioned that the secretary of the state's Water Resources ministry had written to the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), requesting it to direct Karnataka to release Tamil Nadu's share of water for July as per the schedule.

Going by his remarks to the press made before leaving for Bangalore, Chief Minister MK Stalin is unlikely to raise the issue.

When asked by a journalist, Chief Minister Stalin said that the DMK would not change the stance taken by the late party supremo M Karunanidhi and this meeting is not about Cauvery water or the Mekedatu project but about saving India from the BJP.