Bengaluru, July 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said he was willing to hold talks with his Tamil Nadu counterpart on the long-standing Cauvery river water-sharing dispute, signalling openness to dialogue on key inter-state issues.
Speaking to reporters after attending the CEOs’ Breakfast Meeting ahead of the Bengaluru Tech Summit, Shivakumar said the Karnataka government was ready to engage with all stakeholders, including the Tamil Nadu government, on matters related to the Cauvery dispute.
He declined to disclose the contents of a letter reportedly sent by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, saying the state government had been occupied with Cabinet expansion and other official matters.
“We are ready to speak with everyone, share with everyone, and work with everyone,” Shivakumar said.
Sources indicated that preparations are underway for a meeting between Shivakumar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to discuss the Cauvery dispute and other bilateral issues, including the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project.
According to sources, the Tamil Nadu government sought the meeting, following which Shivakumar invited his counterpart to Bengaluru on August 3. It was not immediately clear whether the invitation had been accepted.
If the meeting takes place, it would be among the rare direct engagements between the Chief Ministers of the two states on the Cauvery issue in recent decades.
Tamil Nadu has traditionally maintained that the Cauvery dispute stands settled through the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and subsequent Supreme Court rulings, with successive governments generally avoiding fresh bilateral negotiations on the matter.
FOLLOW NOW
