CAUVERY DISPUTE

SC slams Modi govt's 'guile' in delay on Cauvery Board

Tamil Nadu Cauvery protest Opposition activists block traffic in Chennai during a protest on the CMB issue | PTI

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra on Monday criticised the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not acting to form the Cauvery Management Board.

The bench, also comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, alluded to the Centre acting with guile on the issue, noting that “the Centre knows what the (CMB) scheme means.” The court directed that the Centre file a draft before it to set up the CMB by May 3.

The court also directed the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu—which have seen repeated agitations and calls for bandhs over the past week over the issue—to maintain peace.

The Supreme Court, in its verdict on the final award of the Cauvery waters in February, had sought the creation of a CMB by March 30.

The BJP government of Narendra Modi has been accused by parties in Tamil Nadu of delaying constitution of the CMB to boost the saffron party's chances in the upcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka. The DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu accuse the BJP of running the AIADMK government in the state by 'remote control'. 

The opposition in Tamil Nadu has sought to take advantage of rising resentment against the BJP and AIADMK over the Cauvery issue.

(With agency inputs)