Rajnikanth warns Centre over Cauvery board

CHENNAI/TRICHY: Fuelled by widespread protests, the Cauvery row took centrestage on Sunday after Rajnikanth warned the Narendra Modi government that it would earn the wrath of Tamil Nadu people if the Cauvery Management Board was not formed soon. He appealed to Chennai Super Kings players and fans to wear black badges during the upcoming cricket matches to express their solidarity with the people of Tamil Nadu.
On Sunday, Rajinikanth, who is gearing up to enter politics, shared the stage with actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan in a four-hour silent protest called by the Nasser-led Nadigar Sangam (South Indian Artistes' Association).
Rajinikanth to PM Narendra Modi: Form Cauvery board soon
Tamil Nadu has been asking the Centre to comply with the Supreme Court order in formulating a scheme or establishing a board to monitor Cauvery water releases from Karnataka. On Sunday, fans turned up in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the stars, disrupting traffic for at least two hours near the protest venue in Chennai.
In Thanjavur, DMK working president MK Stalin, for whom Cauvery has come as convenient political tool to put the Edappadi K Palaniswami government in the state on the defensive, appealed to people to hoist a black flag atop their house and wear black shirts during PM Modi’s visit to Chennai on April 12. This was to express their solidarity with farmers and opposition to the Centre’s act of dishonouring the Supreme Court, he said.
During an interaction with reporters, Rajini asked PM Modi to expedite the process of forming the Cauvery Management Board. Responding to queries on the Centre delaying formation of the board in view of the upcoming elections in Karnataka, he said, “It is all politics only. I don’t want to get into it now. Appointment of MK Surappa, who belongs to Karnataka, as Anna University vicechancellor could have been avoided at this juncture. Politics must not enter into educational institutions.”