Amit Shah in Chennai for southern CMs’ meet; water disputes, security on agenda
Amit Shah Chairs Southern States' Chief Ministers' Summit in Chennai
Indiadailyupdate.com – Union Home Minister Amit Shah touched down at Chennai's old airport on Wednesday evening aboard a dedicated flight from New Delhi. He was greeted on arrival by Tamil Nadu Minister B. Rajkumar, state BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran, former state BJP president Pon. Radhakrishnan, along with party cadres and senior government officials.
The gathering brings together the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and the union territory of Puducherry. Shah will preside over the session, which is expected to tackle a broad slate of inter-state grievances and cooperative development priorities across the south.
Water Conflicts and Cross-Border Tensions Top the Agenda
At the centre of the discussions lies the long-running Mekedatu dispute pitting Tamil Nadu against Karnataka. Sources close to the meeting indicate that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay intends to raise the Cauvery water-sharing controversy directly with his Karnataka counterpart, D.K. Shivakumar. Vijay is also expected to press the issue of three Tamil nationals killed in a shooting incident at the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Hanur taluk, Chamarajanagar district.
Beyond bilateral water disputes, the summit will explore avenues for collective economic and infrastructural growth spanning the southern states.
NIA Raids and a Transnational Drug Trail in Focus
The conference carries added urgency given a string of National Investigation Agency searches carried out across southern states — Tamil Nadu most prominently — over the preceding fortnight. Those operations trace back to a major narcotics seizure: more than 6,016 kilograms of methamphetamine recovered from a Myanmarese vessel near the Barren Islands in the Bay of Bengal in November 2024.
The Andaman and Nicobar police subsequently registered a case, which led to the arrest of six Myanmarese nationals in March 2025. On August 12, investigators conducted simultaneous searches at five sites in Mizoram and eight locations in Tamil Nadu. In Chennai alone, officers recovered assorted digital devices, ₹71 lakh in cash, $53,500 in US currency, and 1,50,000 Myanmar Kyat.
Investigating agencies believe the trail points toward a far larger transnational narcotics trafficking network. According to high-placed sources, Shah may use the platform to signal the Centre's determination to identify the private individuals embedded in the conspiracy and to map links between the seized methamphetamine and wider international drug syndicates.
The home minister is likely to stress the imperative for heightened vigilance and decisive action against the illicit narcotics trade along the southern coastline, alongside broader coastal-security imperatives.
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