Karunanidhi urges TN governor or Centre to intervene as Jayalalithaa still in hospital

DMK has said the Tamil Nadu government "lacks proper direction" with Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa still in hospital and has urged the Governor and the Centre to take appropriate action.

Referring to the Cauvery row, DMK President M Karunanidhi said the upper riparian state Karnataka was "least bothered" about implementing the Supreme Court directives on releasing water to Tamil Nadu, even as farmers in the state were keenly watching what the Centre, state and the apex court had to say on the matter.

"Everybody feels the state government is lacking direction because the chief minister is in hospital. Although no all-party meeting or cabinet meeting or special Assembly session has been held on behalf of the AIADMK government, all parties in Tamil Nadu are united in supporting the demands of farmers, including constituting the Cauvery Management Board, he said.

"Since ministers or the Chief Secretary are not prepared to take any steps in very important matters like the Cauvery issue without consulting the Chief Minister who is in hospital, there is a passive situation in Tamil Nadu," he said in a letter to party workers.

"In such a scenario, political leaders in the state have been individually raising various issues and the government's stand on these must be informed after taking decisions on them", Karunanidhi said.

"It is the wish of the people of the state that the Centre or Tamil Nadu governor (Ch Vidyasgar Rao) decide and immediately take action," he said.

"Until the time Chief Minister Jayalalithaa resumes work after recovering, appropriate legal steps should be taken to implement the essential needs of the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.

This was the request of the people as well as "ours", Karunanidhi added.

DMK Treasurer MK Stalin had last week demanded that the state government name an interim Chief Minister or a Deputy CM till the time Jayalalithaa returned.

Karunanidhi also slammed the Centre on the Cauvery issue, criticising it for changing its stand on constituting the Cauvery Management Board.

Meanwhile, Chennai Police yesterday arrested two persons for spreading rumours about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's health.

The two men were arrested by Tamil Nadu Police, Cyber Crime division for spreading false news about the chief minister's health on social media. The accused have been identified as Satish Kumar, an IT professional from Tiruchengode and Madasami, who has completed ITI in AC mechanicals from Madurai.

--PTI