The Election Commission of India on Tuesday said model code of conduct will not come in the way of setting up the Cauvery Water Management Board.
To a question on the applicability of the model code for the Centre in constituting the board to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award for Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and a few other states, Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said, "Whatever is the direction or order of the court and the (steps in) compliance thereof, the commission or the model code of conduct does not come in the way."
As per the model code of conduct, the Centre also cannot announce schemes or take policy decisions which can influence voters of Karnataka till the model code is in force. It will end a couple of days after May 15, the counting day for the May 12 elections.
Verdict
The apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, had delivered its verdict on Cauvery water dispute on February 16 and directed the Centre to set up a scheme to monitor the implementation of its verdict in six weeks.
Earlier, AIADMK apprehended that model code of conduct may be a hinderance to the Union Ministry of Water Resources to constitute the "scheme."
Separate religion issue
To a question what steps the Commission would take to check political parties exploiting the religious issues following the granting of separate religion status to Lingayats, he said the model code of conduct strictly bans the political parties from exploiting religious issues during the poll period. The Commission will keep a watch on all political parties on this issue, he added.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks