Stalin Says CM Vijay Stands 'Isolated' on Cauvery as Bengaluru Visit Deferred, Demands All-Party Meeting

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had planned to travel to Bengaluru on August 3 for his first direct, in-person talks with Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on the long-running Cauvery water dispute and the Mekedatu reservoir project, after the Cauvery Water Management Authority on July 29 directed Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at 3,500 cusecs a day for 15 days.

The CWMA's order triggered widespread protests in Karnataka, including farmers threatening to besiege Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport and demonstrators tearing down posters of Vijay's recent film in Mandya. Citing the charged atmosphere, Shivakumar asked Vijay to defer the visit, and Vijay agreed to put it on hold.

DMK president M.K. Stalin said on August 1 that Vijay had pursued a "unilateral" approach by seeking direct talks with Karnataka despite warnings from Tamil Nadu political parties and farmers' associations, and that the Chief Minister now "stands isolated" after Karnataka "shut the gates on him" following the water-release order.

Stalin pointed out that Karnataka Chief Minister Shivakumar had convened an all-party meeting in Bengaluru on August 2 to project political unity on the issue, and asked when Vijay would call a similar all-party meeting in Tamil Nadu to build consensus and safeguard the state's water rights.

At the Bengaluru meeting on August 2, chaired by Shivakumar and attended by senior leaders across parties including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka leaders stressed setting aside political differences to protect the state's interests on the Cauvery issue. There was no immediate response from Vijay or the TVK government to Stalin's remarks, and no fresh date has been announced for the deferred Bengaluru visit.