The protests by the pro-Karnataka activists and members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) targeted the chief minister for failing to take up the state’s concerns on Cauvery water issue.
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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday night took to Twitter and announced that the state has chose to follow the Supreme Court order and release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. “This is patently unjust and the Karnataka government must file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the decision”, said Mandya MLA MH Ambareesh.
“As we can not defy a constitutional body like the Supreme court, “with a heavy heart” we have chose to release the water as directed by the apex court”, Siddaramaiah told reporters on Tuesday night after almost a three-hour long all-party meeting convened by him in Bengaluru.
The Courtgave three days’ time to Karnatakato respond to the plea by Tamil Nadu, while asking the Cauvery Supervisory Committee to examine the matter in four days and pass appropriate directions.
Clearly, Modi too faces a similar conundrum when it comes to the constitution of the board: Karnataka is an important state for the BJP as well.
However, he suggested, “The leaders from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have to sit together to discuss the problem and let Narendra Modi chair the meeting”. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), formed in 1991 on the directive of the Supreme Court, gave outlined a water release plan after 16 years.
The agitations this year started after Karnataka declared that it can not release water to TN due to a deficit leading to the intervention by the apex court.
“When we are being given only drinking water and not a drop for irrigation, why should farmers in Tamil Nadu be given water to grow their crops”. “It is inevitable to comply with the Supreme Court order. We will obey the order”.
Meanwhile, the government appealed to people not to resort to agitation and to maintain calm.
The neighbouring state would also be benefited by North-east monsoon rainfall in the Cauvery delta and also has better ground water position than Karnataka, they said.
“Despite severe hardships faced by the government of Karnataka, the state will release water as directed by the Supreme Court”, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters on Tuesday after almost a three-hour long all-party meeting convened by him here.
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SC directed the central government to constitute the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) in May 1990.
