AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday (May 22, 2026) questioned the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government over whether it would be able to take a “firm stand” on the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project on the inter-State river Cauvery, and articulate its position.  

Mr. Palaniswami, in a post on social media, said he raised the question because the TVK regime is being run with the support of the Congress, which is the ruling party in Karnataka.  

Referring to the reported statement of Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar that Tamil Nadu had no right to object to the project and that its groundbreaking ceremony would be performed after receiving clearance from the Centre, the AIADMK leader asked where the Congress gained “courage” from to speak about the inauguration of the work. It was “condemnable” that the Congress had been functioning “against the interests” of Tamil Nadu.  

Sharing the AIADMK leader’s concern over the matter, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran said the farmers of the Cauvery delta in the State were worried about whether Tamil Nadu’s rights would be “surrendered” by the TVK regime for the sake of safeguarding its power.  

Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Dhinakaran urged the State government to take appropriate steps to protect the State’s interests and rights.