Published Jun 26, 2026 | 9:54 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 26, 2026 | 9:55 PM
K Venkata Narayana's appointment has put TN's water dispute with Karnataka in sharp focus.
Synopsis: Despite having a liaison wing in New Delhi, the Tamil Nadu government appointed film producer K Venkata Narayana as the state’s Special Representative in the national capital. The representative’s role is to coordinate with the Union government, a profile that overlaps with the responsibilities of the liaison wing. Opposition AIADMK and BJP have questioned Narayana’s appointment, saying posting an individual from Karnataka could prove detrimental to Tamil Nadu’s interests in interstate disputes.
The Tamil Nadu government has once again come under criticism over an appointment after it posted film producer and distributor K Venkata Narayana as the state’s Special Representative in New Delhi.
Narayana, the founder of Bengaluru, Karnataka-based KVN Productions, produced Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s yet-to-be-released movie Jana Nayagan. Censor Board certification issues have stalled the movie’s release.
In a notification issued on Tuesday, 23 June, the government said Narayana has been appointed as Tamil Nadu’s Special Representative in New Delhi for one year, effective “from the date on which the appointee takes charge or till the need for it ceases, whichever is earlier”.
The notification said the terms and conditions of the appointment would be announced later. Special Representatives are normally appointed to liaise with the central government ministries.
Narayana’s appointment has brought interstate conflict to the fore. Opposition parties questioned the appointment at a time when Tamil Nadu has been locked in a water dispute with Karnataka.
Previous governments, too, had appointed veteran politicians from the ruling party as Special Representatives. Narayana, however, lacks a proven political track record.
Special Representatives are appointed despite states having a senior government official as liaison officer in the national capital. Tamil Nadu has a separate Liaison Wing in Tamil Nadu House. The wing also plays a similar role.
Also Read: Vijay urges Centre to halt Karnataka’s Mekedatu dam project
The AIADMK on Friday, 26 June, questioned why a movie producer from Karnataka was chosen as the Special Representative.
Its IT wing accused the Vijay-led government of acting as a “proxy government” of the Congress-led Karnataka administration and questioned the decision, especially amid the ongoing Mekedatu dam dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It argued that the appointment raised concerns over protecting Tamil Nadu’s interests.
AIADMK ally BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit President Nainar Nagendran, too, came out strongly against the appointment. He termed the appointment “highly condemnable” and raised concerns over its implications on Tamil Nadu’s interests in interstate disputes.
Nagendran questioned the government’s choice of a person from Karnataka for such a crucial role at a time when Tamil Nadu has been locked in major disputes with Karnataka, particularly over the long-pending Mekedatu Dam project.
Stating that Narayana is close to Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, he asked how the Tamil Nadu government expected to effectively negotiate and resolve sensitive issues like Mekedatu after making such an appointment.
Nagendran also questioned the government’s “failure” in resolving the dam dispute, especially since its alliance partner, the Congress party, has been in power in Karnataka.
He said decisions of this nature could affect Tamil Nadu’s welfare and accused the government of acting against the larger interests of the people of the state.
Also Read: TN revokes order appointing astrologer as OSD to CM Vijay
Chief Minister Vijay courted controversy in May — soon after he was sworn in — by appointing Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in his office.
Vettrivel, reportedly, has been Vijay’s personal astrologer for a long time. He had also functioned as a TVK spokesperson.
After the posting snowballed into a controversy and was even questioned in the Madras High Court, the government took a U-turn and revoked Vettrivel’s appointment.
