Cauvery issue: T.N. Minister Nirmalkumar says Karnataka CM Shivakumar, DMK share ties beyond politics
Tamil Nadu Minister R. Nirmalkumar has accused the DMK party of colluding with Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar regarding the Cauvery water dispute. He claims these political maneuvers are undermining the state's legal efforts in the Supreme Court.
Why it matters
The dispute underscores the complex and often contentious nature of interstate water-sharing agreements in India, which frequently become flashpoints for regional politics.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Law and Energy Resources R. Nirmalkumar on Sunday (August 2, 2026) claimed that Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin’s family shared a cordial relationship that went beyond politics, Mr. Nirmalkumar said that Mr. Shivakumar wanted the DMK to return to power and the Karnataka CM would listen to the DMK leader’s family rather than the Congress leadership.
Speaking to journalists at Chennai Airport, Mr. Nirmalkumar strongly objected to Mr. Stalin’s statement that “Chief Minister [C. Joseph Vijay], in an attempt to go it alone [on the Cauvery issue], was left isolated,” while the Karnataka Chief Minister had convened an all-party meeting on Sunday (August 2, 2026) to discuss the Cauvery issue.
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