CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday referred to as for stronger cooperation amongst southern states and Centre, saying shared financial pursuits and pure sources ought to unite states relatively than change into sources of battle.Addressing the Southern Zonal Council assembly, Vijay made the remarks towards the backdrop of the long-standing Cauvery water dispute and Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu venture, which have remained politically delicate points between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.“The alternatives and challenges earlier than us are shared, and so should be our resolve to handle them. Our rivers, coasts, infrastructure and markets ought to unite us in a typical goal and shared prosperity. The place we agree, allow us to act with ambition. The place we differ, allow us to resolve our variations via dialogue, mutual respect and the rule of legislation. That is the essence of cooperative federalism,” he stated.Vijay stated inter-state rivers and customary markets ought to be leveraged for regional development, whereas variations over water and different sources ought to be settled via dialogue and throughout the authorized framework.“TN firmly believes that robust states make a stronger India. In that spirit, I reaffirm our dedication to working with the Union authorities and our sister states in direction of a developed India,” he stated.Vijay stated southern states ought to construct on their financial strengths and customary markets to advertise balanced improvement. He additionally referred to as for sustained cooperation on points the place the pursuits of states converge, whereas making certain that variations didn’t have an effect on broader ties between neighbouring states.Vijay stated TN remained dedicated to constructive engagement with Centre and different states, stressing that nationwide improvement could be stronger when states had been empowered and their considerations addressed via cooperative governance.In the meantime, Karnataka deputy chief minister D Ok Shivakumar referred to as for a paradigm shift from “water sharing” to “water cooperation”, saying inter-state rivers ought to unite states relatively than divide them.Shivakumar stated rivers transcend political boundaries and harassed the necessity for higher cooperation amongst states sharing river waters. He stated Karnataka revered the rights of decrease riparian states in inter-state water issues and referred to as for disputes to be addressed via dialogue and mutual cooperation.“Water cooperation, not simply water sharing, is the necessity of the hour,” Shivakumar stated, emphasising the necessity to look past state boundaries whereas managing shared river sources.
