5 min readChennaiUpdated: Aug 2, 2026 05:36 PM IST
Barely days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay sought direct talks with Karnataka over the Cauvery dispute, one of his senior-most ministers has dramatically escalated the political confrontation, alleging that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar takes instructions from the DMK leadership rather than his own party. The unusually personal attack comes at a time when Tamil Nadu still depends on Karnataka’s cooperation not only over Cauvery waters but also on several cross-border infrastructure projects and the interests of lakhs of Tamils living across the neighbouring State.
Just days ago, the Tamil Nadu government was speaking the language of dialogue. But on Sunday, R Nirmalkumar, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Energy Resources and Law and one of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s closest political lieutenants, launched an extraordinary attack on Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, alleging that the Congress leader was functioning less as a senior minister of Karnataka and more as a political ally of the DMK.
“D K Shivakumar does not listen even to the Congress leadership. He listens only to M K Stalin,” Nirmalkumar told reporters. He went further. “If Stalin tells him, he will listen. If this family tells him, he will listen. That is how close the relationship between the two of them is.”
In Tamil Nadu politics, ministers routinely criticise opposition leaders. Publicly accusing the Chief Minister of a neighbouring state of taking political instructions from an opposition party in Tamil Nadu is considerably rarer. Coming from Nirmalkumar, the remarks also carry unusual weight.
Within the ruling TVK, he has increasingly emerged as one of the government’s principal political communicators, frequently articulating the administration’s position on contentious issues — from corruption investigations to the Cauvery dispute. Party leaders privately describe him as someone entrusted with conveying the political thinking of both the government and the party.
That makes Sunday’s remarks difficult to dismiss as a personal remark. They also represent a striking shift in tone. Only last week, Vijay had attempted to open a political channel with Karnataka by proposing a meeting with Shivakumar over the Cauvery water dispute. The meeting never materialised after Karnataka requested its postponement amid protests over water releases ordered by the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
Inside the ruling party, some leaders now privately concede that the initiative yielded little. One senior TVK leader acknowledged that the proposed talks “neither materialised nor helped the process” and instead “put the government in a tight spot.” Sunday’s attack suggests the government has now moved decisively from outreach to confrontation.
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Nirmalkumar alleged that the DMK has deliberately tried to create the impression that Vijay stood politically isolated after Stalin criticised the proposed Karnataka visit. Referring to Stalin’s statement, the minister said the opposition appeared determined to manufacture precisely such an atmosphere.
He accused the DMK of rushing independently to the Supreme Court on the Cauvery dispute after the government had already begun preparations to move the apex court itself. “If multiple petitions are filed by the same state in such a matter, how much confusion would that create? To what extent would it push back the State’s rights?” he asked.
He also questioned the DMK’s record in office. “What did they do over the past five years? Did the DMK file even a single petition on this issue? No.” His criticism extended to the AIADMK as well. Nirmalkumar questioned why the principal opposition party had challenged the Assembly resolution after supporting it unanimously in the House.
“Were they asleep inside the Assembly?” he asked, noting that senior AIADMK leaders had participated in the debate before endorsing the resolution. The minister reserved his sharpest allegations for Shivakumar himself.
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Drawing a connection between the alleged horse-trading investigation about the attempts to poach TVK legislators and Karnataka, Kumar said that a substantial portion of the seized money had originated from Bengaluru. “How is it that Bengaluru has become such a haven for the DMK leadership…?” he asked, suggesting that the investigation reinforced suspicions about the closeness between Shivakumar and the DMK leadership. The allegations remain political claims. Nirmalkumar did not present evidence publicly linking Shivakumar to the alleged transfer of funds.
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka remain deeply interdependent despite periodic political conflicts over the Cauvery. The two states share significant economic linkages, industrial investments and cross-border infrastructure ambitions. Projects such as the long-discussed extension of Bengaluru Metro towards Hosur, proposals relating to Hosur airport connectivity, industrial corridors and the everyday interests of large Tamil-speaking populations living and working in Karnataka require sustained cooperation between governments.