DMK MPs walk out of Parliament over Cauvery water share

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Members of Parliament staged a walk-out from both Houses of Parliament on Monday (August 3, 2026) to protest against Tamil Nadu not receiving its due share of Cauvery river water. The MPs also held a demonstration outside Parliament on the issue.

The protest stems from the alleged non-compliance with directives issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), which mandates that Tamil Nadu should receive 9.9 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water in June and 32 TMC in July, totalling 42 TMC. According to the DMK, the State has not received a single drop of water so far in 2026. The Tamil Nadu government has also approached the Supreme Court seeking intervention.

Speaking to reporters, Rajya Sabha MP P. Wilson said, “The original demand of 7,000 cusecs based on the already existing backlog has to be released to us. We wanted the House to debate and pass a resolution on this.”

DMK MPs carried placards in both chambers. In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan named Mr. Wilson and others for displaying placards. After their request for a debate was not accepted, the MPs walked out.

Mr. Wilson also criticised the Congress party for not raising the issue, which he said affects people across Tamil Nadu. “The Congress is not bothered about the problems of Tamil Nadu. They are only talking about other issues, so we have brought to the attention of Parliament that this issue has to be sorted out by the Union government,” he said.

The Cauvery water dispute is a long-standing inter-state issue involving Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry. The CWMA was established in 2018 to implement the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, as modified by the Supreme Court. The authority determines the monthly release of water to each state based on the availability in the catchment area and the storage position in reservoirs.

The DMK's protest comes during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which has seen several issues being raised by various parties. The State government has maintained that the non-release of water has aggravated the water crisis in Tamil Nadu, particularly for the standing crops in the Cauvery delta region.

The Union government has not yet issued a statement on the matter. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the plea filed by the Tamil Nadu government in the coming days.