On day of Agriculture Budget, DMK MLAs wear black over TVK-led government’s ‘failure’ on Cauvery issue
DMK legislators wore black shirts to the Tamil Nadu Assembly to protest the TVK government's handling of the Cauvery water dispute and the Mekedatu dam project. The protest occurred during the Agriculture Budget presentation, which was marked by political rhetoric praising Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
Why it matters
The incident highlights escalating political tensions in Tamil Nadu between the ruling TVK and the opposition DMK, specifically regarding critical interstate water resource management.
Legislators of the DMK, the principal Opposition party in Tamil Nadu, led by their leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, attended the presentation of the Agriculture Budget in the Assembly on Thursday (August 6, 2026) wearing black shirts to protest against the ruling party’s “failure” to secure Cauvery water and prevent Karnataka from constructing a dam at Mekedatu.
The Budget was presented by Agriculture Minister R. Vinoth, who, at the beginning of his speech, waxed eloquent about Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government. Referring to the ‘whistle’, the party’s election symbol, he said it was the first raga produced by air. “Its majesty will endure even if heard only through its sound,” he said.
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