Palaniswami criticises Vijay for his ‘silence’ on Shivakumar’s refusal to release water

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday criticised Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for “maintaining silence” on his Karnataka counterpart D.K. Shivakumar’s refusal to release Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water.In a statement, Mr. Palaniswami referred to Mr. Shivakumar’s remarks against water release and his announcement of an all-party meeting in Bengaluru after the Cauvery Water Management Authority endorsed the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s decision to release 3,500 cubic feet per second (cusecs). The former Chief Minister reiterated that if the Mekedatu project was implemented, Tamil Nadu would not get even a “drop of water” in the Cauvery. He demanded that the government convene an all-party meeting at the earliest. Separately, AMMK founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran,