Chennai: With the Centre seeking more time from Supreme Court for the setting up of Cauvery Water Management Board (CMB) by citing elections in the neighboring Karnataka, the ruling AIADMK has called for a statewide hunger strike today. Protesting the Centre’s stance over the issue of Cauvery river water dispute, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu K. Palaniswami along with his deputy O Pannerselvam have joined the day-long hunger strike today.

The joining of the two top AIADMK leaders for the protest site in Chepauk was a surprise as the party had earlier announced that all the party leaders will be taking part in the protest except the Chief Minister and his Deputy.

“The hunger strike is to condemn the central government for not forming the CMB,” the AIADMK said in a statement.

AIADMK workers and supporters in all district headquarters of the state are also currently protesting by hungerstrike, the Tamil Nadu government claimed. More than 21 lakh shops are shut in Tamil Nadu today as per the reports.

In Delhi too, AIADMK Members of Parliament staged a protest outside the Parliament House. AIADMK Party MPs have been raising slogans in Parliament during the Lok Sahba and Rajya Sabha sessions for the last two weeks.

Rival DMK has demanded that Chief Minister Palaniswami convene a urgent meeting of his cabinet and pass an immediate resolution condemning the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the delay in resolving the Cauvery issue. A DMK Executive Council meeting also condemned both the Central as well as state governments over the issue.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu allege that the Centre’s aim in not setting up the Cauvery Management Board was to avoid alienating voters in Karnataka for the coming assembly elections of the state, which is opposed to the Supreme Court order.

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will hear Tamil Nadu’s contempt petition against the Central Government for not forming the Cauvery Water Management Board on April 9. The Tamil Nadu government of AIADMK had petitioned the Apex Court for an early hearing as the Centre has not implemented the Supreme Court’s order on the Cauvery water dispute, though the deadline to set up the Cauvery Board has already lapsed on March 29.

“We understand Tamil Nadu’s problem. We will see that Tamil Nadu gets water, and will solve the issue,” a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra said

The Government of Tamil Nadu had stated in its contempt plea that the Centre was bound to give effect to the judgment by framing a scheme so that the authorities of Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee can be installed within the time frame of six weeks.

It also said that the concerned authorities need to be in place as soon as possible in order to implement the decisions of the tribunal as modified by the Supreme Court in accordance with the time schedule prescribed therein.

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