Karnataka: Doublespeak on Mahadayi, BJP damns Congress

Bengaluru/Belagavi/Hubballi: Party state unit president Pralhad Joshi squarely laid the blame for the Mahadayi river water row at the Congress’ door on Thursday, and warned the Congress party and specifically Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, not to use the Mahadayi issue to score political points against the BJP, saying that trying to establish a base in the north by discrediting the BJP would blow up in their face.  

“They know they have no base in the region. So, they wanted to indulge in politics to teach BJP a lesson. This will boomerang,” he said. Laying out how the UPA government, the Congress government in Goa and the present Congress government in Karnataka had “systematically complicated the Mahadayi water row and ensured north Karnataka did not get water,” Mr Joshi accused Congress leaders of squandering the opportunity to resolve the issue amicably.

“First, why did UPA government move Supreme Court saying it could not resolve the issue amicably and requested the Supreme Court to constitute a tribunal? When you were in power for 10 years, why did you not try to resolve the issue on the lines of Telugu Ganga model?” he asked.

“During the 2009 Goa assembly elections, AICC president Sonia Gandhi went to Goa and announced that her party would not share a single drop of water with Karnataka. Didn’t she say this? We have records to prove this. How can the state Congress leaders mislead the public?,” he stated.

“When Manohar Parikkar was the Goa chief minister, he had once said he would not oppose sharing water for drinking water purpose. The Congress party which was in opposition then did arm-twist the BJP government and made the government pass a resolution in the assembly not to share water with Karnataka,” he said, adding “three months back, when Mr Siddaramaiah went to Hubballi, local reporters asked whether he would lead a delegation on Kalasa-Banduri canal project just like the one on Mekedatu issue? Mr Siddaramaiah replied that since the issue was pending before the tribunal there was no need for a delegation.

“Last year, the Siddaramaiah government filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court saying it would stop using the natural flow of Mahadayi into the state and subsequently, it blocked the water flow.” “Does the Congress have an answer,” he asked.

Mr Joshi also revealed that both he and opposition leader, Jagadish Shettar asked Mr Kharge to persuade Congress leaders in Maharashtra and Goa to give agree to sharing Mahadayi water but Mr Kharge categorically declined.

Chaos at meeting

Pandemonium prevailed at a meeting of farmers in Nargund on Thursday held to discuss the future course of action seeking early implementation of Kalasa-Banduri Nala project. The meeting was convened by seers of various maths in North Karnataka. Tension prevailed for sometime when two leaders of farmers favoured suspension of the agitation. Their statements enraged the farmers who had arrived from Dharwad, Gadag, Bagalkot and Belagavi districts.

Expressing fears that some seers and leaders had joined hands with the government to suppress the ongoing agitation, the farmers said that they would continue their agitation till the dispute with Goa over diversion of Mahadayi waters to the Malaprabha reservoir was resolved.

Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swamiji of Kudal Sangama and Basavaraj Devaru of Revanasiddeshwar Math demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take steps to hold talks of leaders from Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra to resolve the issue. Farmer leaders Veeresh Sorabadmath and Shankranna Ambali appealed to the farmers to continue their agitation peacefully.

Seers may meet PM

Leaders and seers from Belagavi on Thursday decided to hold a crucial meeting on August 31 where a decision on taking a delegation to the Prime Minister is expected to be taken. At a press conference here, Siddaramaswamy of Nagnoor Math alleged that a delegation from the State failed to convince the Centre and said that a delegation of seers, farmers and intellectuals should be taken to the Centre.