The Politics of Silence in the Cauvery Water Dispute
Tamil Nadu government delayed legal action against Karnataka over the Cauvery water dispute. Rajathi Salma asks if political considerations took precedence over protecting farmers' rights and securing the state's allocated share of river water. , Opinion - India, Times Now
Opinion - IndiaAuthored by:Rajathi SalmaUpdated Aug 4, 2026, 13:20 ISTTamil Nadu government delayed legal action against Karnataka over the Cauvery water dispute. Rajathi Salma asks if political considerations took precedence over protecting farmers' rights and securing the state's allocated share of river water. Cauvery riverPhoto :ANIThe right over the Cauvery belongs to the farmers of Tamil Nadu. For them, the Cauvery is the only source of water on which they place their greatest hope and trust for their livelihood. For the past five years, under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, water had been released consistently on June 12, enabling farmers to benefit. Following the release of water, the Kuruvai cultivation season progressed successfully every year. However, this year, the Mettur Dam was not opened until two days ago. It was opened only very late, the day before yesterday. This happened only because of nature's generosity, not because of the efforts of politicians. By the end of July, Tamil Nadu should have received 31. 24 TMC (approximately 40 TMC) of water. However, the Karnataka government failed to release the required quantity. The government should have approached the court immediately against this violation, but instead it delayed taking legal action. At the third meeting held on July 28, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee recommended that 4. 5 TMC of water be released for the month of July. Even after the Karnataka government rejected this recommendation, not a single word was spoken by the Chief Minister in defence of Tamil Nadu's rights. If the Karnataka government can convene an all-party meeting along with representatives of farmers and arrive at a united decision, then why was a similar all-party meeting not convened in Tamil Nadu when farmers herewere being denied their rightful share of water? The Chief Minister should have raised his voice in protest. But nothing of that sort happened. The real question before us is this: once a government assumes office, it must demonstrate that it has a position on the concerns of the people and the problems faced by farmers. Instead, Chief Minister Vijay continues to project that he has no opinion on any issue. The biggest question is whether he has any genuine concern or interest in the problems faced by farmers. The government should have approached the court a month earlier. Instead, it moved the court only after an unnecessary delay. The final allocation of Cauvery river water was settled by the Supreme Court on February 16, 2018. After that judgment, there was no need for negotiations between the Chief Ministers of the two states. When Karnataka violated the Supreme Court's verdict, the Tamil Nadu government should have immediately taken legal action. Why did it remain silent? Did Vijay remain silent because Karnataka is ruled by his alliance partner, choosing to protect the alliance instead? Why did he, as Chief Minister, refuse to fulfil theresponsibility that lay before him? These are the questions before us. The success of any government is a reflection of the trust that people place in it. If a Chief Minister is responsible for farmers not receiving, on time, the water they had been getting for the past five years, then is that not one of the greatest betrayals of the people of this state? What does the Chief Minister intend to convey through his silence? Today, farmers are suffering on a massive scale. If the Chief Minister is unable to secure their rightful share of water, then what public service does he claim to be delivering? When he said he would bring about change, did he mean pushing the farmers of this state further into poverty? Today, a resource that even two nations can share through agreement has been reduced to a political issue within India. The political games played by the Congress for its own interests, and the silence of a Chief Minister because the Karnataka government is led by his alliance partner, will certainly be remembered and discussed inhistory. Rajathi SalmaauthorRajathi Salma is a Rajya Sabha MP, acclaimed Tamil writer, and a leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). NewsOpinionOpinion - IndiaEnd of Article