BJP State president Nainar Nagenthran on Sunday charged that whenever the Congress was elected to power in Karnataka, the farmers of Tamil Nadu were cheated. He also rejected the claims made by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B. Manickam Tagore over the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

It was when the Congress was in power at the Centre, the islet of Katchchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka, he said. “So, you don’t have to teach us a lesson regarding the welfare of Tamil Nadu. The BJP is clear in our position in protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu,” he said, while responding to contentions made by Mr. Tagore on the social media over the protest staged in Karnataka by former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

Recalling that it was in 2018 under the Narendra Modi government that the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) was constituted, Mr. Nagenthran said: “It is a known fact that despite directions by the Authority constituted by the BJP-led Union government, the Congress government in Karnataka refused to release water to Tamil Nadu.”

He further asked Mr. Tagore to question the Congress government in Karnataka as to why it refused to release water to Tamil Nadu despite directions from the CWMA. He also questioned the reported silence being maintained by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is visiting Tamil Nadu.

Published - August 02, 2026 10:30 pm IST