Won't allow Tamil Nadu to take more Cauvery water: CM B S Yediyurappa

Asked whether he will be calling an all-party meeting regarding the issue, he said, "we have not thought about it yet"

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Monday that Karnataka will not allow Tamil Nadu to secure more water from Cauvery than what has already been allocated.

Speaking to reporters on Tamil Nadu’s proposed Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar River Linking Project, Yediyurappa said the government would not allow for more water allocation to Tamil Nadu.

“We will not allow it at any cost. There is no point giving statement on it,” he said, assuring that the state’s interests would be protected.

On being asked if he would conduct an all-party meeting to discuss the issue, he said he had not thought about it at the moment.

The state government fears that Tamil Nadu might claim excess water on Karnataka’s side of the Cauvery basin, once the project is completed.

Pressure mounted

Meanwhile, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and H D Kumaraswamy mounted pressure on Yediyurappa to resolve the issue at the earliest.

Siddaramaiah asked Yediyurappa to immediately consult the Supreme Court on the issue.

Condemning Tamil Nadu’s move, Siddaramaiah tweeted: “Tamil Nadu government is planning to unauthorisedly use 45 tmcft of Cauvery water for river-linking project. I urge the state government to immediately stop this illegal move.”

He added that the chief minister should not only question this in the Supreme Court but also urge Tamil Nadu’s chief minister to immediately drop this plan.

Kumaraswamy also expressed concern about the issue. “It’s surprising that the state government was not aware of Tamil Nadu’s river-linking projects, which is funded by the Centre,” he said.

“The water resources minister (Ramesh Jarkiholi) has stated that he will request the neighbouring state to implement the project while ensuring that Karnataka does not lose out on water. What does this even mean? There is a risk that in times of crisis, Tamil Nadu may claim the excess water as its rightful share,” he added and warned that the Centre would have to face people’s ire if it acted against the state’s interests.