Cauvery award: Government criticised for 'changing stand'

Lawyers statements come in handy for Opposition to corner the govt

Launching an attack against the State government for “suddenly changing its stand” with regard to the notification of the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), the Opposition parties have demanded that the government should submit a detailed explanation on the matter.

A day after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict directing the Centre to notify the 2007 award of the CWDT, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah alleged in the Assembly that the BJP government had abruptly made a U-turn.

He demanded that the government should appeal against the Supreme Court verdict. If it were to be implemented, it would cause grave injustice to the people of Karnataka, especially those in the Cauvery basin, he said.

“For the last five years, both the ruling and Opposition parties had stood by the decision that the final order of the CWDT should not be notified. However, Karnataka’s lawyers arguing the case have stated that the State has no objection to the notification of the final order. The government should clarify why it changed its stand,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said senior advocate Fali S Nariman, during his tour in the districts of the Cauvery basin recently, had stated that there was no harm in notifying the final order.
“This goes to show that the State government was in the know of the matter. When such was the case, why was the Opposition not taken into confidence?”

Siddaramaiah urged the State government to appeal against the Court’s pronouncement ordering Karnataka to release two tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu. He said there was acute drinking water problem in the two major cities of Bangalore and Mysore already, and if more water were to be released, the problem would intensify.

Maintaining that the State government was committed to issues concerning land and water, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said he would convene a meeting of the floor leaders on Wednesday to discuss and spell out the government’s stand with regard to notification of the 2007 award of the CWDT. He said the government would submit a detailed explanation on the stand taken by the State’s counsels in the matter.

“We have pursued the legal battle at all levels, including the CRA, CMC and the Supreme Court. Now is not the time to indulge in blame game. We have to stand united and find a solution to this,” he appealed to the Opposition parties. The meeting has been scheduled at 2 pm on Wednesday.

Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Karnataka would pursue the matter seriously.

“Nariman has only spoken about the legal position. But there has been no change in the government’s stand. I will shortly submit a detailed explanation,” he said.

JDLP leader H D Revanna said the verdict had come as a “death knell” to the people of Karnataka and that legislators, irrespective of party affiliations, should resign as a mark of protest, if the Centre goes ahead with notifying the award.