The Aam Aadmi Party in Goa accused Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of compromising the state's interest in the ongoing Mahadayi water dispute with Karnataka, alleging that the Rs 300 crore package announced for Goa in the Union Budget was a mere compensation for this compromise.
"This government has compromised on the Mahadayi issue. The river is regarded as a mother in Goa because of its water that flows through most of North Goa and sustains all life," Aam Aadmi Party Goa convenor Rahul Mahambre told reporters outside the Chief Minister's residence.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a Rs 300 crore package to Goa for celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the state's liberation from the Portuguese.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is under fire yet again for allegedly favouring Karnataka in the two-decade-long battle ensuing in the Supreme Court between the states regarding the Mahadayi river.
Earlier this week, Arvind Datar, a senior counsel representing the Goa government in the issue, told the media that upon instruction from the Goa government, he had not objected to Karnataka's plea in the Supreme Court in 2019 seeking notification of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. The CM has denied giving Datar any such written instruction, and the counsel has now been sacked and replaced.
The Opposition is now asking for Sawant's resignation.
The issue is currently being heard in the SC as both parties expressed reservations about the award by the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal in 2018.
Goa has also opposed the diversion of water from the Mahadayi river basin through the Kalasa-Banduri project claiming it would cause “ecological devastation” in Goa.