chennai as tamil nadureels under the worst water crisis the ruling aiadmk saturday performed yagna in temples across the state while the opposition dmk staged empty pot demonstrations urging the government to take steps to address the issue senior aiadmk leader and fisheries minister d jayakumar took part in a yagna at a shiva temple here and planted saplings in the premises of the shrineread alsotamil nadu warns schools against closure due to water crisistamil nadu school education department on saturday warned private schools declaring holiday due to water shortage in a circular vc rameswaramurugan director of school education said declaring holidays due to water crisis will affect the studentshe told reporters that performing yagnas was an expression of faith hoping that the almighty will answer their prayers for rain dmk leader and former city mayor ma subramanian who led an agitation here hit out at the aiadmk saying executing plans with rationale alone could help address the situation conducting such rituals have no utility he told municipal administration minister s p velumani took part in a yagna at patteeswaram temple in coimbatore district as velumani took part in prayers hundreds of dmk cadres staged a protest seeking the ministers resignation for his failure to create necessary infrastructure for water supply talking to reporters later he said the move to bring water from jolarpet in vellore district to chennai would not affect the water availability there former lok sabha deputy speaker m thambidurai took part in a prayer in another city temple education minister k a sengottaiyan participated in a puja at pachamalai murugan temple in erode district cooperation minister sellur k raju took part in special prayers in meenakshi and subramania swamy temples at madurai he said chief minister k palaniswami and deputy chief minister o panneerselvam have asked the 50 district party units to hold prayers in temples for rains even as they tasked us to hold pujas rains have started in chennai and madurai too will get showers raju said adding divine power has helped transport minisiter m r vijayabaskar and agriculture minister r doraikkannu took part in prayers in aadikumbeshwara and pasupatheeshwara temples at kumbakonam and karur respectively food minister r kamaraj and social welfare minister v saroja took part in pujas at tiruvarur and nammakal districts meanwhile former union minister dayanidhi maran and dmk senior functionary p k sekar babu staged a demonstration with empty pots demanding that the government ensure drinking water supply to the people former minister and dmk leader k n nehru led a protest in tiruchirappallai district similar protests were held across tamil nadu with raising of slogans vendum vendum kudineer vendum we want water and edappadi arasai kandikirom we condemn chief minister edappadi k palaniswamys government the dmk had on wednesday said it would hold protests across the southern state on saturday to urge the aiadmk government to take steps on a war footing to address the acute water crisis the main opposition also slammed the state government on