MK Stalin, HD Kumaraswamy Both Bat For 'Cordial Ties' to Resolve Cauvery Dispute

Nagapattinam/Tiruchirapalli (TN): DMK working president MK Stalin on Sunday batted for 'cordial ties' with the new government which will assume power in Karnataka and asked the AIADMK regime to work for a solution to the Cauvery issue through talks.

Subsequently JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy too favoured bilateral talks to solve the issue.

Cordial ties should be created with the new government and a solution hammered out through talks, Stalin said at a function at Nagapattinam district. "Though we have got a legal victory, water to the necessary extent should be received and farmers should be provided with that," he said.

"If farmers were not provided with water for irrigation, DMK would steer protests to get it," he said.

He said that during the previous DMK regime, former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had got Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu through his 'friendly attitude' with his Karnataka counterparts. "Thalaivar (leader) Kalaignar fulfilled everything by establishing friendly ties with neighbouring States."

DMK, meanwhile, said its leader Stalin has been invited by the JDS top leadership to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of party leader Kumaraswamy as Karnataka Chief Minister on May 23.

At Tiruchirapalli, Kumaraswamy said he favoured talks to solve the Cauvery issue amicably and assured his full cooperation to Tamil Nadu on the matter. "Through bilateral talks, it is better to solve it, because there are some problems from both sides," he said and referred to farmers from both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu facing a distress situation.

"We have to solve it, we have to live together, for that let us see, I am going to give full cooperation to solve this problem amicably," he told reporters here.

Asked if the Supreme Court order on the Cauvery issue would be obeyed by his state, he said, "definitely everybody has to obey, not only my government."

He said for the last three years, all reservoirs were "empty in our state also," and due to that there was 'some problem between both states."

The JDS leader, who arrived at Tiruchirapalli on a visit to the Lord Ranganathaswamy temple at nearby Srirangam, said, "I think Lord Ranga will give sufficient rainfall." With copious showers, he hoped all reservoirs would be full and "then there is no problem between us."