Political parties across the board organised State-wide demonstrations in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, demanding that the Centre constitute the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.

In a rare move, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and the Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam participated in a demonstration against the Centre for its alleged inaction on the Cauvery issue. The duo observed a day-long fast, urging the Centre to constitute the Board and Regulation Committee for sharing of the river water.

The protracted legal battle over the sharing of Cauvery water between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry continues to elude a solution even after the Supreme Court spelt out its verdict in February. In that final order, the court had granted the Centre six weeks to establish a mechanism to oversee water sharing. The deadline ended on March 29.

The Centre has sought clarification from the Supreme Court on the exact nature of the scheme or mechanism.

Tamil Nadu has maintained it has to be in line with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final order which the Supreme Court’s verdict essentially follows. This means the constitution of a Cauvery Management Board and a Regulation Committee.

After the deadline ran out, the State government filed a contempt petition against the Centre in the Supreme Court last weekend. The Centre’s clarification petition and Tamil Nadu’s contempt petition are being heard by the apex court.

The DMK led the Opposition parties in the agitations.

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