Co-operate with CRA, Gowda tells State

JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday urged the State to co-operate with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, chairperson of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA), who is likely to discuss the review petition by the State on October 12.

Talking to mediapersons in the City, Deve Gowda said:

“The Cauvery Monitoring Committee’s (CMC) report on the water situation in the river’s basin region is crucial. The Prime Minister’s decision, moreover, will be based on the report.”

The Supreme Court has provided temporary relief to Karnataka. Though the Karnataka government’s decision to stop the flow of water to Tamil Nadu might not lead it to a legal trouble, the State should tread cautiously, he said.

The former prime minister said that he strove to resolve the Cauvery crisis with an aim to rescue farmers in distress.

“Neither have I tried to politicise the issue nor have I blamed anybody for present situation,” he said.

Noting that being emotional was not going to solve the Cauvery row, Deve Gowda said he prevented his party MPs and MLAs from resigning from their posts.

“Who will present the State’s case in Parliament, if the MPs resign and stay put at home?” he said.