DMK’s working president M.K. Stalin has announced that the party would ensure total shutdown of all commercial and other establishments in the State on Thursday (05th April) in order to express the State’s feelings on the Cauvery river water row.

“Protests would also be held blocking vehicular traffic including buses and trains across the State,” Stalin announced yesterday while addressing a protest meeting at Chennai’s famed ‘Valluvar Kottam’. Protests have been witnessed across the State against the Centre’s reluctance in setting up a Cauvery Management Board (CMB) to oversee water-sharing arrangement mainly between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

That the Centre hasn’t acted despite Supreme Court’s directions in this regard has angered and disappointed all political parties in the State. Stalin led a rally at Valluvar Kottam in which leaders of all DMK’s allies and friendly parties took part. Those who attended yesterday’s protest meeting included the likes of Ki Veeramani, Udhayanidhi, Tirunavukkarasar, Ramasamy and Thol Thirumavalavan.

Donning a green shawl, Stalin said “We are to hold a black flag protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visits the State on 15th April. We shall also soon announce our plans to hold a ‘walkathon’ to press for retrieval of Tamils’ rights. On Thursday, we will hold a total ‘shutdown’ in the State and request all establishments to close down to express the State’s solidarity on the issue of (not) setting up CMB.”