A Day Before Vijay's Delimitation Meet, DMK's 'Mekedatu' Condition

A day before Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's high-level consultation meeting with members of Parliament from the state on the issue of delimitation, the DMK has demanded an all-party meeting on the Cauvery water and Mekedatu dam issue.

The Chief Minister's meeting with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will take place at the Kalaivanar Arangam auditorium in Chennai on August 8.

The Centre has renewed its push for the Delimitation Bill and is holding consultations with Opposition parties, including the DMK, to revive the Delimitation Bill, 2026, along with the Women's Reservation Amendment.

Responding to Vijay's meeting invite, the DMK issued a statement saying that while it has no hesitation in attending the meet on delimitation, the Chief Minister must first call an all-party meeting on the Mekedatu dam issue.

Pointing out that the DMK was the first political party to oppose the Centre's delimitation plan and its potential impact on Tamil Nadu, the party said it has been demanding a fair delimitation that will not have a negative impact on Tamil Nadu's parliamentary representation.

"We can't accept the fact that the Chief Minister, who's convening a consultative meet for delimitation, is refusing to convene an all-party meet related to the Cauvery issue," the party said in a statement on Friday.

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Reiterating that the DMK will be the first party to fight against any threat to Tamil Nadu's representation, the Dravidian party warned the TVK government against using delimitation as a "diversionary tactic."

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Udhayanidhi Stalin and Chief Minister Vijay on Friday engaged in a heated exchange in the Assembly on the issue of Cauvery water and the Mekedatu dam.

Questioning the government's stand on the Cauvery water issue and Karnataka's move to build the Mekedatu dam, Udhayanidhi Stalin accused the Vijay government of not doing enough to stop the dam project in the neighbouring state.

"The government must clarify in the Assembly what steps have been taken to stop Karnataka from going ahead with the Mekedatu dam," the Leader of Opposition asked the Chief Minister.

Hitting back at the allegations, Chief Minister Vijay pointed out that the Assembly had passed a resolution against the Mekedatu dam and that he had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the project.

"We will do whatever it takes to safeguard the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers," the Chief Minister said.

Udhayanidhi Stalin then questioned the Vijay government's resistance to an all-party meet on the Mekedatu issue, pointing to a united front being put up by Karnataka parties.

"Karnataka convened an all-party meet. For their rights, they have united as a single team," he said, referring to Karnataka's stand. "Why is the TVK government rejecting the idea of an all-party meet to show unity for the Tamil cause on the Mekedatu issue?" the Leader of Opposition asked.