Amid a war of words between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) over the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the all-party meeting to discuss the inter-State river water issues pertaining to Karnataka will take place on Wednesday.
The meeting will be held at Vidhan Soudha at 11 a.m. Besides the current problem of releasing Cauvery water, leaders across the political spectrum will also deliberate on Karnataka’s stand in sharing Mahadayi and Krishna river water with the neighbouring riparian states.
The invitation has been extended by the government to former Chief Ministers B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, both of whom will attend. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to the former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda inviting him to the meeting, sources close to the veteran leader said that due to ill health, Mr. Gowda will not be participating. “Once he is fit to travel, Mr. Gowda is planning to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the dire situation in Karnataka. He has also promised to extend his party’s support to any decision of the State government that will protect the interest of Karnataka,” said a source
Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, who has been critical of the government’s decision to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, said that he would take part in the all party meeting and declare the party’s stand there.
Meanwhile, taking exception to the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu by the Karnataka government, the BJP on Tuesday contended that the government should have submitted facts related to alleged violation of the neighbouring state in terms of crop size that has been allowed.
Expanse of Kuruvai crop
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, BJP State General Secretary C.N. Ashwathnarayan alleged that Tamil Nadu had taken up cultivation of Kuruvai crop on 7.4 lakh hectares of land as against the allowed limit of 1.8 lakh hectares. This was the reason why Tamil Nadu needed more water to support its crops, he maintained, and argued that Karnataka should have brought this issue to the notice of the Supreme Court.
Accusing Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds Water Resources portfolio, and Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy of being “irresponsible”, he accused the government of not protecting Karnataka farmers’ interests.
He alleged that release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu by Karnataka at this stage, when the State was facing deficit rainfall, would amount to compromising with the interests of farmers in Cauvery basin of Karnataka, particularly Mandya.
