Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Engage in War of Words Over Cauvery Dispute

The political war of words between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the Cauvery dispute intensified on Sunday, with Tamil Nadu Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar alleging that Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar takes political cues from DMK president MK Stalin rather than the Congress leadership. The remarks came just days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay proposed direct talks with Karnataka to resolve the Cauvery issue. Addressing reporters, Nirmal Kumar claimed Shivakumar shared an unusually close political relationship with the DMK leadership. "D K Shivakumar does not listen even to the Congress leadership. He listens only to M K Stalin. If Stalin tells him, he will listen. If this family tells him, he will listen," the minister said. Nirmal Kumar also accused the DMK of attempting to portray the Tamil Nadu government as politically isolated after Stalin criticised the proposed Karnataka visit by the Chief Minister. Targeting the DMK over the Cauvery dispute, the minister alleged that the opposition rushed to file a separate petition in the Supreme Court even as the state government was preparing to move the apex court. "If multiple petitions are filed by the same state, it creates confusion and weakens the state's rights," he said.