Cauvery issue: Karunanidhi slams BJP, asks to mend its path

Chennai: Slamming BJP for criticising his party over the decades old Cauvery issue, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Wednesday asked it to mend its way which "spoiled a good opportunity" to set up the Cauvery Management Board.

Referring to a section of BJP leaders' accusations that DMK withdrew a petition on Cauvery from the Supreme Court in the early 1970's, he said such allegations were "far from truth and an outburst of hostility."

Karunanidhi said in 1971 August, Tamil Nadu government had petitioned the Supreme Court to direct the Centre to set up the Cauvery tribunal after a series of talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu failed to solve the issue.

In 1972, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had said a solution could be found to the issue through talks and advocated withdrawal of petition by Tamil Nadu.

"Believe me and withdraw the petition, Indira Gandhi told us," he said in a statement. Later, an all party meeting was held and it was decided to withdraw the plea in the apex court.

"It was decided to temporarily withdraw the petition from court by retaining an option to file a case again on the issue," the DMK supremo said.

He listed out a series of efforts taken during DMK's tenure in the state on Cauvery starting from 1968 including negotiations with the Centre and Karnataka, all-party meetings and efforts to set up a tribunal.

"BJP, which was responsible for spoiling a good opportunity to set up the CMB and for taking a negative stance and diverting the issue should realise that truth will triumph and should mend their way henceforth at the least," he added.

Karunanidhi said BJP faced "all round condemnation" in Tamil Nadu after it took a stand against setting up the CMB in the Supreme Court".

"BJP's true colours became known to the outside world and they stood unmasked (on Cauvery) and faced strong criticism," he said.

The saffron party which was unable to give any acceptable reply to such criticism instead took on the DMK alleging that his party had betrayed Tamil Nadu on the issue, he said.

Karunanidhi also criticised AIADMK over the issue.