In a statement, Mr. Dhinakaran accused Mr. Vijay of failing to discharge his responsibility to protect farmers’ livelihoods for the sake of retaining power, alleging this had emboldened D.K. Shivakumar to persist with the Mekedatu project. Tamil Nadu leaders accuse Vijay, Shivakumar over Mekedatu dam, urging protection of farmers’ livelihoods and cross-border rights.