CHENNAI: The political and public agenda in Chennai today is dominated by three big issues – the ongoing anti-NEET stir, the fresh Cauvery water dispute and the political debate on delimitation.The Tamil Nadu Assembly has already passed a resolution seeking abolition of NEET for undergraduate medical admissions, but the anti-NEET protesters on hunger strike in the city say their agitation will continue.The Cauvery issue has simultaneously resurfaced in the wake of the Cauvery Water Management Authority directing Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs or one TMC of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from August 12.Meanwhile, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader and CM Vijay is expected to bring a resolution against delimitation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, adding yet another political flashpoint.And Chennai is witnessing an odd cocktail of student politics, inter-state water issues and electoral politics.
The anti-NEET protest refuses to die down
The anti-NEET protesters continued their hunger strike in Chennai, demanding that the government respond to their demand to abolish the medical entrance examination.The agitation comes in the wake of the Tamil Nadu Assembly passing a resolution to urge the Center to amend relevant laws and do away with NEET as a requirement for undergraduate medical admissions.That the protest has continued suggests that the issue remains politically and emotionally live in Tamil Nadu.
Cauvery dispute back to center stage
The Cauvery Water Management Authority’s order to Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily for 15 days has brought back a familiar interstate dispute.The order is on the basis of differences over earlier instructions and the demand for adequate water supplies by Tamil Nadu. The issue is likely to remain politically sensitive as both states balance agricultural requirements, reservoir levels, and competing claims.
Delimitation on Vijay
CM Vijay is also likely to move a resolution against delimitation in the Assembly. The move brings his fledgling political outfit straight into one of the big constitutional and electoral debates in Tamil Nadu.With the NEET issue, Cauvery issue and delimitation issue all simmering at the same time, Chennai’s political temperature is set to rise thru the day.
