India, July 29 -- Senior DMK leader Duraimurugan on Wednesday urged all political parties in Tamil Nadu to set aside their differences and unite over the Cauvery water dispute, warning that inaction could "turn the state into a desert."

Duraimurugan criticised recent remarks by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary in Parliament that the 2018 Supreme Court verdict did not explicitly require Karnataka to obtain the consent of Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Puducherry before undertaking projects such as the proposed Mekedatu reservoir.

Calling the minister's remarks factually incorrect and dangerous, Duraimurugan cited legal documents and court rulings to argue that construction projects on the Cauvery require the consent of...