Issue and Opposition: The Kaveri Water issue between the Indian states of Tamil Nadu (erstwhile the Madras Presidency) and Karnataka (erstwhile the Kingdom of Mysuru) is a continuous hot topic of debate and discussion in Deccan politics. The states disputed over the water sharing of the Kaveri River for decades before the tribunal constituted by the Indian government in 1990 gave its verdict in 2007 after 16 long years of hearings from all parties. The bone of contention between the states rests on two issues. One, based on a higher volume of inflow, Karnataka demanded that it deserved a higher water allocation than Tamil Nadu. Second, based on the vast acreages of land that Tamil Nadu has developed by the Kaveri basin, the state justified its higher allocation of water and claimed that a lower amount of the Kaveri budgeted for Tamil Nadu would cause water insecurity for those settled on the developed land. Karnataka maintained that the water allocation decided by the British should be null and void because since independence more land areas have been added to Karnataka (for example Coorg in the pre-independence era was a separate territory but after independence was included within Karnataka). These excess territorial limits and higher populations on account of these extensions were not taken into consideration when the colonial rulers budgeted water for the states. The tribunal ordered that Karnataka should release 192 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu in a normal year from June to May. Despite new allocations that added Kerala and Puducherry as minor shareholders while maintaining Tamil Nadu as the highest shareholder in this arrangement. The verdict, instead of dousing the Kannadiga-Tamil riparian rivalry intensified it since Karnataka felt that its rights were denied even after independence. Over the years, Karnataka retaliated by not adhering to the tribunal order. This dilemma action was organized by DMK and DMK allies- Cadre of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Congress, the Left, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, and those belonging to the Naam Tamilar Katchi and Tamizhaga Vaazhurimai Katchi to protest against central government’s inaction in resolving the Kaveri issue in favor of Tamil Nadu. Although the Kaveri water issue was the primary reason for the protests and the action, the protesters were also expressing their displeasure regarding the Modi administration’s decision to allocate lower state budgets to Tamil Nadu based on the 2011 census.
Dilemma Action: The protesters released thousands of giant black balloons with the words ‘Modi Go Back’ printed on them to cover the city sky just before Modi arrived in Chennai. The clutter made by these black balloons became so overwhelming that the pilot of Modi’s helicopter was forced to detour the flight to avoid collision with these balloons. The protesters chose black as the color of the balloons because of the color’s association with mourning, sorrow, despair, and resistance.
Outcome: The dilemma action created a spectacle and was reported by social and conventional media. That apart, there were no other effects of this dilemma action.