JOIN USCauvery: All-party meet tells govt to stick to House decision
Leaders of all the political parties on Wednesday advised the state government to adhere to the resolution passed in the state legislature on September 23 that the available water in Cauvery basin dams be used only for drinking purpose.
Participating in an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the Cauvery issue at the Vidhana Soudha, the leaders also suggested that the government should take an appropriate decision based on the outcome of a meeting convened by the Centre on the issue in Delhi on Thursday.
The meeting was convened to elicit opinion of all the parties on the Supreme Court order to release 6,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for three days from Wednesday.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar (BJP) told reporters that his party suggested that the government not go against the resolution. It is the duty of the government to uphold the dignity of the legislature.
The available water is hardly enough for drinking till May next. Hence, the question of releasing water to Tamil Nadu does not arise, he added.
JD(S) legislator and spokesperson Y S V Datta said the state will be displaying its weakness if it changes the stand and releases water. “Now, the question is not only of releasing water, but also maintaining the dignity of the legislature. It also involves sentiment of the people. The government should, therefore, not take any hasty decision,” he added.
Both the Opposition parties suggested that the government wait for the outcome of the meeting convened by Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti in Delhi on Thursday.
Union Ministers D V Sadananda Gowda, Ananth Kumar and Ramesh Jigajinagi, MPs from the state, including Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa participated in the meeting. Advocate General Madhusudan Naik too was present.
Yeddyurappa said that a delegation of BJP MPs from Karnataka will go to Delhi and hold a meeting with Uma Bharti on the issue. The delegation will apprise her of the factual situation in the Cauvery basin ahead of the crucial meeting on Thursday.
DVS loses cool
Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda took serious exception to Karnataka Water Resources Minister M B Patil’s comments on the Centre’s role in the Cauvery issue. At the all-party meeting, Patil said that the Centre should intervene at least now and protect the interest of the state.
Gowda objected to it and accused Patil of indulging in politics. “Ananth Kumar, Nirmala Sitharaman and me have been making efforts to protect the state’s interests. It is not proper on your part to speak without updating yourself. It is not proper to politicise the issue,” Gowda stated. When Patil tried to clarify his point, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intervened and pacified the two.
At the meeting, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy is learnt to have criticised Advocate General Madhusudan Naik for suggesting the government to release water as per the court order. “Stop giving such suggestions. We are facing this problem because of such suggestions. We need to protect people’s interest at any cost.”