TN says will study Cauvery scheme as opposition voices concern
Chennai, May 14: Even as Tamil Nadu government said that it would first study the Cauvery Draft Water Management Scheme submitted by the Centre in the Supreme Court on Monday, major state parties voiced opposition to the scheme.
Speaking to reporters in Madurai, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said that the state government would first study the draft scheme and then decide on the next course of action.
The Minister for Law, Courts and Prisons, C.Ve.Shanmugam told reporters that the state will submit its views on the scheme to the apex court on May 16.
On the other hand, major Tamil Nadu opposition parties voiced serious concern.
PMK founder S. Ramadoss said the draft scheme does not involve the power to implement the award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal.
Ramadoss said the proposed body is "powerless and cannot implement the Tribunal's award".
Wondering who would implement the tribunal's award, the PMK leader said that dams built across the Cauvery in Karnataka will be under the control of that state, in which case that state's government will not abide by the decisions of the proposed body.
He said that the Centre's proposal brings back the water dispute to the starting point all over again.
Ramadoss demanded that the Tamil Nadu government oppose the Centre's proposal on the Cauvery water sharing body.
DMK leader M.K. Stalin urged the Tamil Nadu government to call for an all-party meeting on Tuesday to discuss the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and arming it with legal power.
Stalin said that representatives of farmer associations should also be a party to the meeting.
The DMK leader raised concerns over when the Centre would fully implement the scheme, adding that it was Tamil Nadu government's responsibility to stress that it would not accept anything other than the CMB.
Stalin said the AIADMK government should call the meeting and stress its stand in the apex court on Wednesday, when it, along with other three southern states, has been called to submit response on the scheme.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
