NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday ruled out an all-party meeting on Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu Dam and the Cauvery water dispute, rejecting leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin‘s demand and urging the opposition not to “play politics” over the issue.Speaking in the assembly, Vijay asserted that his TVK-led government would not compromise on Tamil Nadu’s rights over the Cauvery waters and said the state’s position had already been conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.“There is no need to convene an all-party meeting. Please do not play politics on the Mekedatu dam issue. Whatever our stand may be, we have expressed it through a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our government will not compromise on its rights regarding the river water issue or the Mekedatu dam issue. I do not want to indulge in cheap politics by bringing up past history. Do not think about who will gain politically or who will take credit for this issue,” Vijay said.He added, “We know what needs to be done regarding the Cauvery issue, but you are politicising the matter… We are firmly committed to pursuing the Cauvery issue through legal means.”Vijay’s remarks came after the DMK demanded an all-party meeting to discuss Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu Dam project on the Cauvery River. The issue has triggered a fresh political confrontation between the ruling TVK and the opposition.The row intensified after leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested over allegedly “derogatory” remarks against chief minister Vijay and actor Trisha amid the escalating Cauvery dispute.Udhayanidhi has denied targeting any individual, insisting that his remarks were about the Cauvery issue. He accused the government of using his arrest as a “diversionary tactic” to shift attention away from the Mekedatu and Cauvery dispute.“I am only asking why an all-party meeting has not been convened. When we were in government, the present chief minister criticised us for writing a letter to the Prime Minister. He himself had spoken about it at the time. The chief minister knows how this issue should be resolved. This is a matter concerning the livelihood of the people, and he knows how to address it. I have taken up the resolution you submitted in accordance with the rules.
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You have yourself acknowledged that the issue is serious. I am only asking how you are going to resolve it. The agriculture minister said in an interview that the chief minister would be going to Karnataka, but two other ministers have denied it. They are saying that they do not want the Tamil Nadu chief minister to come to Karnataka and that they are not prepared to release water,” he said in the House.He also urged the chief minister to engage directly with farmers in the Cauvery delta region.“The chief minister should meet the farmers of the Delta districts and speak to them. During the previous government, cultivation was carried out on 6.8 lakh acres, whereas under this government, cultivation has been carried out on only 1.5 lakh acres,” he added.