Chennai, 7 Aug

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday said that it was he who proposed holding talks with neighbouring Karnataka on Cauvery issue considering some hope for a positive outcome.

The chief minister declared in the Assembly that he did not wish to indulge in cheap politics on the Cauvery issue.

Responding to the Leader of Opposition Udhyanidhi Stalin, who raised the Cauvery issue, Vijay traced the way Tamil Nadu had handled the issue since 1969 - from considering dialogue to sticking to legal recourse.

Against this background, he said that his government is firm on dealing with the Cauvery issue legally and that there is no change about it.

Quoting late Congress leader and former leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly P G Karuthiruman, Vijay said, "Cauvery issue needs to be handled very carefully".

However, CM said that he thought of attempting to address the issue by visiting Bengaluru and holding talks, hoping for a positive outcome.

Vijay also said that in an attempt to hold talks on Cauvery, for the sake of Tamil Nadu people, he was "prepared to bear insults".

He said that he attempted to visit Karnataka over the Cauvery issue with positive thoughts. "I thought what if talks are held with neighbouring state as even nations that are sworn enemies hold dialogue to solve issues," he said. He also agreed that he had received several opinions about the plan.