Chennai, Sept 29: DMK today said talks between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka was the only way out to solve the vexed inter-state Cauvery River water dispute. DMK president M Karunanidhi told reporters here that Karnataka Government had defied the verdict of the Supreme Court and Cauvery Water Authority. "Under these circumstances, what is the way out", he asked.

Karunanidhi's comments came when newsmen sought his reaction to the remarks of Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's statement that the row could have been sorted out by the two states instead of seeking a legal remedy.

Asserting that Tamil Nadu's lower riparian rights in the Cauvery should be protected, he asked "can both the states indulge in a war for this".
He said Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalthaa, through her outbursts against Karnataka and the Prime Minister had vitiated the atmosphere adding that her "false prestige' had created a sort of 'hatred'.
The issue could be settled keeping the welfare of the farmers of both the states, he said adding that "heroic postures" were not good for Tamil Nadu. Bureau Report