Siddaramaiah to Parrikar: Tell tribunal Goa is ready to release water to K'taka

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asked his Goa counterpart Manohar Parrikar to submit before the Mahadayi River Water Disputes Tribunal that he is ready to release water to Karnataka, if he is not willing to hold talks with him.

Parrikar has not replied to Siddaramaiah's letters urging him to come for talks on the river water sharing issue. "I have written two letters (to Parrikar).

But there is no response...Goa Irrigation Minister has himself said Parrikar and Yeddyurappa (BJP Karnataka president) are staging a drama," Siddaramaiah told reporters, referring to the Goa chief minister's recent letter to the Yeddyurappa on releasing Mahadayi water to Karnataka for drinking water purpose.

Yeddyurappa had assured that he will ensure release of Mahadayi water by   Goa by December 15.

But, all that he could do was read out a letter from Parrikar at a BJP rally in Hubballi recently, Siddaramaiah said.

He termed as ridiculous the BJP leader Jagadish Shettar's statement that Karnataka can use Parrikar's letter to Yeddyurappa to get a favourable verdict from the Tribunal. "Shettar is an advocate. He should know that a chief minister has to write to his counterpart. Only then it becomes official," he stated and charged the BJP with misleading people of north Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah said the BJP is a divided house. Many leaders have complained against Yeddyurappa's style of functioning. Even Shobha Karandlaje is not attending Yeddyurappa's yatra, he added.

He described as politically motivated JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's charge that Siddaramaiah has been misusing official machinery to campaign for the Congress. The government spends for organising its programme. The question of misusing the official machinery does not arise, he added.

'Did not denotify land'

Siddaramaiah claimed that he has not denotified six acres in Bhoopasandra in Bengaluru, as has been charged by the BJP. "Have they (BJP leaders) released any document?..I only directed the officials to look into a petition given by MLA Vasant Bangera. It was not an order to denotify the land," he stated.

BJP leader B J Puttaswamy recently submitted a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala, urging him to give permission to prosecute the chief minister in connection with the denotification of land.