BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who met Members of Parliament and Union Ministers from Karnataka in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the Cauvery dispute, sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, however, criticised Siddaramaiah for politicising the issue. “Former chief minister and MP DV Sadananda Gowda and I told the chief minister that he has been politicising the issue. You first release water to Tamil Nadu and then call for an all-party meeting… and then blame the Centre. The meeting should have been held before releasing water. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from Karnataka, however, are extending support to the government over the Cauvery issue,” he said.
Joshi alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka was releasing water to Tamil Nadu to please its I.N.D.I.A bloc partner DMK.
Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, maintained that he had in the past called for all-party meetings as and when Karnataka was told to release water by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).
“Despite political differences, all the MPs from Karnataka are united in supporting the state’s stand in the matter,” claimed Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the water resources minister.
He asked the MPs from the state to pressurise the Centre to find a solution to the Cauvery dispute. Shivakumar, however, said he hopes Karnataka will get justice in the Supreme Court.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje accused Tamil Nadu of misusing Cauvery water by expanding its sowing area than what is permitted. “Last year, they got 600 tmcft of water and utilised 400 tmcft and let 200 tmcft run into the sea,” she claimed. She said Karnataka should argue in the Supreme Court on similar lines.
Former water resources minister Govind Karjol, speaking to The New Indian Express, questioned the need for the meeting in Delhi. “There is 40% less storage in the reservoirs compared to last year. It is a distress year and water cannot be released. The government should have gone to courts and the distress condition should have been brought to the notice of CWMA and CWRC. As per norms, Tamil Nadu can cultivate only 1,08,000 hectares… but they use Cauvery water to cultivate 4,00,000 hectares. They are doing this at a time when the rain has failed,” Karjol, a former deputy chief minister, added.
He claimed that while farmers in Karnataka have received a mere 7 tmcft of water, their counterparts in Tamil Nadu have got 67 tmcft and are even planning to cultivate their second crop.
“But when Karnataka tells Tamil Nadu that it is unable to release water owing to drought, Tamil Nadu talks about shortage of drinking water. Now, if we release 5,000 cusecs for 15 days we will be releasing 7 tmcft to Tamil Nadu,” he added. He hit out at the state government for calling an all-party meeting after releasing water to Tamil Nadu.
