1. CM Stalin urges PM Modi to instruct Karnataka to release Cauvery water to T.N.
Flagging the “grim scenario” faced by the farmers of Cauvery delta in saving their kuruvai paddy crop, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his immediate intervention in instructing Karnataka to release Tamil Nadu’s due share of Cauvery water, and to further clear the shortfall in June and July.
In his letter, Mr. Stalin pointed out Karnataka was not honouring the Supreme Court’s order that had fixed the share of water to be delivered to T.N., and was also not adhering to the directions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
In the current 2023-2024 water year, Karnataka has released only 11.6 TMC of water, as against 40.4 TMC due at Billigundulu from June 1 to July 31. “Such a huge shortfall of 28.8 TMC has been thrust on Tamil Nadu, even while Karnataka has a gross storage of 91 TMC in its four major reservoirs, against their full storage capacity of 114.6 TMC,” the CM said.
2. Judgement reserved on case relating to continuation of Senthilbalaji in Cabinet
The Madras High Court reserved its judgement on a batch of writ petitions filed against the continuation of Minister V. Senthilbalaji in the Cabinet. The Minister is presently in judicial custody, lodged at the Puzhal prison in Chennai, after he was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in a money laundering case on June 14.
3. Anwhar Raajhaa is back in AIADMK
The AIADMK ‘s former minority wing secretary and Labour Minister A. Anwhar Raajhaa, who was expelled from the party in November 2021, returned to the party, in the presence of the organisation’s general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
Prior to the expulsion, the former Minister had publicly pushed for the readmission of former interim general secretary of the party, V.K. Sasikala, and favoured the call of O. Panneerselvam, who was then party coordinator, for a discussion on the issue.
Known as a critic of the AIADMK’s major ally, the BJP, Mr. Raajhaa had openly voiced, in 2018, reservations over the triple talaq legislation, and was responsible for his party’s decision to stage a walk-out at the time of the Lok Sabha adopting the legislation.
