Ahmedabad Times

NEW DELHI: 2026 has been a yr of Congress’ re-emergence in southern India. The social gathering received comfortably within the Kerala meeting elections, entered the Tamil Nadu authorities by supporting Vijay’s TVK, and in addition solved the three-year-long tussle over the chief ministerial submit in Karnataka.However, simply because it appeared that every little thing was going Congress’s manner, regional tensions seem to have taken over the social gathering line. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have locked horns over the proposed basis stone ceremony introduced by Karnataka for the Mekedatu dam venture throughout the Cauvery River, exposing a pointy interstate fault line..By the way, as Congress is in energy in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it finds itself caught between a rock and a tough place — compelled to steadiness electoral positive aspects in opposition to a flamable native dispute.What’s the Cauvery water dispute?The Cauvery water dispute is considered one of India’s longest-running inter-state river water conflicts. It centres on the sharing of waters of the Cauvery river, a vital supply of irrigation, consuming water and livelihood for thousands and thousands of individuals in southern India.The roots of the battle return greater than 150 years to agreements signed in 1892 and 1924 between the erstwhile Madras Presidency and the princely state of Mysore. These agreements established the precept that the higher riparian state (Mysore, now Karnataka) should receive the consent of the decrease riparian state (Madras, now largely Tamil Nadu) earlier than enterprise main building tasks on the river.Tensions intensified after 1974 when Karnataka started diverting water into newly constructed reservoirs with out Tamil Nadu’s consent. Tamil Nadu argued that these actions diminished water availability downstream, significantly for its farmers who rely closely on the Cauvery for irrigation.To resolve the dispute, the Central authorities constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in 1990 underneath the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.After 17 years of deliberations, the tribunal delivered its remaining award in 2007, laying down a system for sharing Cauvery waters amongst Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.The award was notified by the Centre in 2013 and subsequently challenged earlier than the Supreme Courtroom. In its landmark 2018 judgment, the apex court docket largely upheld the tribunal’s water-sharing framework whereas guaranteeing modifications.The court docket described the Cauvery as a nationwide asset and allotted water among the many riparian states, directing the Centre to ascertain an institutional mechanism to implement the choice.Following the decision, the Centre created the Cauvery Water Administration Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to supervise water releases and guarantee compliance with the sharing association.Nonetheless, battle resurfaces virtually yearly, significantly during times of poor rainfall. Karnataka argues that it wants enough water to fulfill the consuming and irrigation necessities of its inhabitants, whereas Tamil Nadu insists on well timed releases as mandated by the tribunal and Supreme Courtroom orders.Disagreements are particularly intense throughout drought years when water availability falls under regular ranges. Questions over how shortages must be shared between states usually set off political and authorized confrontations.The newest flashpoint is Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu Reservoir Mission, which is meant to offer consuming water to Bengaluru and generate round 400 MW of electrical energy.Karnataka Vs Tamil NaduThe controversy was triggered by Karnataka’s then deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar after he mentioned that the Detailed Mission Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu venture shall be submitted to the Centre quickly, and the groundbreaking ceremony shall be held after acquiring Union authorities approval.“The DPR for the Mekedatu venture has been ready, and a venture workplace has been opened. We’re figuring out alternate land to compensate for the forest space that shall be submerged. The DPR shall be submitted to the Centre shortly. As soon as the Centre grants approval, we are going to carry out the bhoomi puja for the venture,” DKS mentioned.“There’s a clear order to launch 177 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu. We are going to talk about the way to resolve this within the coming days. The Supreme Courtroom has dominated that Tamil Nadu has no proper to object to the Mekedatu venture and that the Central Water Fee should take a call on it,” he added.In what could possibly be seen as retaliation, Tamil Nadu’s newly appointed Chief Minister Vijay carried out detailed consultations with Cauvery water consultants and authorized consultants as a way to uphold the state’s rights and safeguard the welfare of farmers.Bearing in mind the main points of the Supreme Courtroom judgment and detailed authorized session, CM Vijay suggested that quick follow-up authorized measures must be undertaken immediately.He additionally met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and urged him to advise the Jal Shakti ministry and the central water sources tribunal to not allow the venture with out the consent of all states concerned within the dispute.“The Mekedatu dam will not be on the record of tasks permitted by the Tribunal which has been affirmed by the Supreme Courtroom,” Vijay has earlier mentioned in a letter to the Prime Minister.“There isn’t a scope for extra utilisation or for creating an enormous storage reservoir, because the Cauvery basin is discovered to be a deficit basin and the obtainable water at 50 per cent dependability has already been allotted to the social gathering states… Therefore the act of proposing to assemble a brand new reservoir by Karnataka would quantity to clear violation of the mentioned judgment,” the letter learn.Why Congress is in a whirlpoolAmid the controversy, Congress finds itself within the uncommon place of getting to cater to 2 opposing stands. The social gathering has grow to be the centre of a battle that has remodeled from a bilateral state dispute into an inner political problem, with its items in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu backing contrasting positions on the Mekedatu venture.The fault traces have already grow to be seen. Congress MP Manickam Tagore selected to skip Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar’s swearing-in ceremony on June 4, 2026, citing the Mekedatu dispute. TN Congress vice-president SM Hidayathullah additionally backed authorized motion in opposition to the venture and acknowledged that there must be no dam throughout the river, inserting the Tamil Nadu unit at odds with the Karnataka authorities’s place.In Karnataka, help for Mekedatu is carefully tied to the pursuits of farmers within the Cauvery basin, significantly the influential Vokkaliga group that varieties a key help base for chief minister DK Shivakumar.In Tamil Nadu, nevertheless, the main target stays on defending the state’s share of Cauvery waters and guaranteeing compliance with the prevailing water-sharing framework. Congress can also be a part of the ruling coalition within the state, the place opposition to the venture has been a constant place. The social gathering’s alliance equations have gained added significance after TVK backed Congress chief Praveen Chakravarty for a Rajya Sabha seat.