DMK working president MK Stalin was on Sunday detained by the police in Chennai after he and other leaders from various political parties staged a protest over the Cauvery water sharing issue and the failure in the formation of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

Congress leader S Thirunavukkarasar, chief of Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) T Velmurugan and other leaders were detained along with Stalin.

Stalin announced that DMK-led opposition parties have agreed for a state-wide shutdown on 5 April demanding constitution of the CMB by the Centre.

The announcement came after he held a meeting with friendly opposition parties in Chennai to discuss the strategy for the protests. He also asked all sections of society, including farmers and traders, to join the shutdown call.

“We have begun a struggle in Chennai with the party leaders and volunteers to condemn the Centre and state governments. Our struggle will not stop until the Cauvery Management Board is formed,” he said.

Supporters of the parties agreed to hold black flag demonstrations whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any member of his Cabinet visits Tamil Nadu. Modi is reportedly expected to visit on 15 April.

The opposition parties have joined voices in criticising the AIADMK-led government in the state for failing to make the Centre obey the Supreme Court’s order regarding the CMB.

The apex court, in a judgment on 16 February, had given the Modi government a time of six weeks to form the CMB, the deadline to which expired on 29 March.

DMK has been at the forefront of protests against the state and the Centre.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s government has been accused by the opposition leaders of “bowing” to the Centre.

Stalin said following the bandh, a “Cauvery rights retrieval yatra” will be organised by the parties from the Cauvery Delta region.

On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government filed a contempt petition against the Centre accusing it of “wilful disobedience” and deliberate delaying of the implementation of the Supreme Court order.

Read More: Tamil Nadu files contempt petition against Centre in Supreme Court

But the Centre, too, had moved the apex court on Friday to seek a clarification and asking for three months for implementing its judgment in view of the May assembly elections in Karnataka. The Centre claimed that any move in the direction of the formation of CMB might lead to public outrage in Karnataka and create a law and order situation during the election process.

The Judgment

In its judgment on 16 February, the Supreme Court reduced Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water and increased Karnataka’s share.

The apex court directed the Karnataka government to release 177.25 tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from its inter-state Biligundlu dam.

The Supreme Court raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a “higher pedestal”.

The CMB, once formed, is expected to take control of the dams across river Cauvery through which it will distribute waters to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry according to the formula of the Cauvery tribunal.

Tamil Nadu has been demanding creation of the board so that it can be granted the power to open up reservoirs instead of the Karnataka government.