Chennai, Oct 15 (DHNS): The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Friday rejected the demand by the Opposition parties for convening an all-party meeting and a special session of the Legislative Assembly to put pressure on the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) at the earliest.

Panruti S Ramachandran, spokesperson of the AIADMK, said that the CMB should have been constituted once the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was out. The previous UPA government as well as the present NDA government at the Centre did not take any measures to establish the CMB.

“We expect a favourable verdict from the Supreme Court very soon and therefore, at this point of time it seems there is no need to conduct an all-party meeting or special session of the Assembly,” Ramachandran said.

The opposition DMK leaders led by its treasurer and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly M K Stalin met Finance Minister O Panneerselvam, who has been handling the portfolios of the ailing chief minister J Jayalalithaa, at the state secretariat.

They urged Panneerselvam to convene an all-party meeting and special session of the Assembly to pass a resolution for putting pressure on the Centre to constitute CMB immediately.

“Karnataka is always united on the Cauvery issue. Likewise, we should also be together and secure the rights of the people of the state,” Stalin said.

Deve Gowda meets Nariman

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda on Friday met senior counsel Fali S Nariman, head of Karnataka’s legal team in the inter-state water dispute and discussed the Cauvery water issue, reports DHNS from New Delhi.

In the meeting, Gowda reportedly told Nariman not to get disturbed over being criticised by a section of political leaders in Karnataka.

Emerging from the meeting, Gowda told reporters, “I have discussed the Cauvery issue with him as the matter is coming up in the Supreme Court on October 18.”