S M Krishna advises 4 riparian states to formulate distress formula to end Cauvery issue

The former External Affairs Minister was also appreciative of the state government's stand on the issue.

Former chief minister S M Krishna on Sunday said that evolving the distress formula is the only way to address the Cauvery river water sharing dispute.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of his biography Nelada Siri, authored by Jagadish Koppa, here, Krishna said that the Cauvery issue hit the headlines for the wrong reasons during the drought years. “I feel there is a need to evolve a distress formula after discussing with all the four riparian states,” he said. 

Krishna said that when he was the CM, the state witnessed a distress year and the then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had convened several meetings of the chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to find an amicable solution. But, despite his honest efforts, consensus remained elusive. 

“We did not have any other choice but to approach the Supreme Court for reprieve. I also welcome the incumbent government’s move to seek help from legal luminaries like former Chief Justice of India M N Venkatachaliah and Justice Ravindra to find a legal remedy for this,” he said. 

Krishna said that he endorsed the stand taken by the Karnataka government on the issue. “I suggest the state government to follow the same pattern of decision-making with regard to Cauvery,” he said.