SC deadline for Cauvery board ends: Kamal Haasan says, ‘Don’t play politics, take a decision’

As the six weeks’ time set by the Supreme Court to form the Cauvery water management board ended on Thursday, Haasan said the constitution of the board was not a big deal. “Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) can do it if he want to. Please sir, you have the authority to create this board, please do it. This is my request,” he said.

Referring to Tamil Nadu MPs’ remarks that they would commit suicide if the board formation is delayed, Haasan said he couldn’t agree with such emotional expressions. “For so many years, we have been pleading for water. Now we are pleading with the Centre to implement the SC order,” he said.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting called by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to discuss the delay in forming the Cauvery water management board seemed to have reached no conclusion about the government’s course of action. A source who attended the meeting — where senior ministers and government secretaries were present — said it essentially “discussed the issue in a chronological order”. Another source denied reports that the government would move a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court against the Centre on Saturday. “No such decision has been taken until now,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president S Thirunavukkarasar condemned the delay in formation of the water board. “Neither do they consider the plight of Tamil Nadu farmers nor do they respect the SC order. This amounts to contempt of court,” he said. There were minor protests in many places on the Cauvery delta against the BJP government, alleging that Karnataka was being favoured by delaying formation of the board.