People don't know if Tamil Nadu has a government, Palaniswami attacks Vijay

AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami took aim at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for not meeting reporters, saying people “don’t even know whether a government is functioning or not”. He called the TVK administration a “Reels Government” and accused it of failing to fulfil its poll promises.Speaking in Edappadi in Salem district, Palaniswami urged CM Vijay to respond to Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s claim that Karnataka could build the Mekedatu dam without Tamil Nadu’s consent.“The Chief Minister must take appropriate action on this. He does not meet the press or journalists, nor does he meet the media. Consequently, people do not know what is happening in the state,” Palaniswami said. TAMIL NADU VS KARNATAKA OVER DAMCM Vijay had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 7, a day before Shivakumar made the remark. In his letter, the Tamil Nadu CM objected to a visit by central officials to the proposed dam site and urged the Centre to withhold clearances until downstream states gave their consent. He said the project would threaten the livelihoods of farmers in the Cauvery delta.Responding to the letter the next day, Shivakumar said Karnataka could build the reservoir without Tamil Nadu’s permission as long as it released the required share of Cauvery water. He said the project would benefit Tamil Nadu too and asked Vijay to send a team for talks. Palaniswami cited the Supreme Court’s 2018 Cauvery verdict, which he said required Karnataka to release 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water to Tamil Nadu each year under a monthly release schedule.The former Chief Minister argued that Karnataka, as the upstream state, could not build a dam across the Cauvery or store or divert its water without Tamil Nadu’s consent. He accused the Karnataka CM of creating confusion and warned that the dam could leave the delta districts dry.WHY TAMIL NADU OPPOSES MEKEDATUKarnataka proposes to build a dam across the Cauvery upstream of the Tamil Nadu border. The proposed reservoir would hold 67.16 TMC of water. The project is meant to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and nearby areas and generate 400 MW of hydropower.Tamil Nadu fears the dam would give Karnataka greater control over when and how much water flows downstream to farmers in the Cauvery delta.In November 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed Tamil Nadu’s challenge to the Central Water Commission’s decision allowing Karnataka to prepare a detailed project report. Construction still requires statutory clearances.- Ends