The Karnataka Cabinet has decided not to release any further water from the Cauvery to Tamil Nadu, notwithstanding a Supreme Court order to the contrary.
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BJP has demanded that the government should call an Assembly session immediately to decide the issue.
Tamil Manila Congress (Moopanar) chief G K Vasan said though the quantum of water that the Committee has ordered is “not sufficient, Karnataka should implement it in toto considering the welfare of Cauvery Delta farmers”.
Criticising the apex court’s directive, former Chief Minister SM Krishna termed it as a perverted judgement and demanded that the State appeal before a full Bench of the apex court.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday overruled the objections of Karnataka asking it to release another 6000 cusecs water to Tamil Nadu for one week starting tomorrow. In the morning, Bengaluru was put under a tight security cover.
He also held the state government singularly responsible for this “disastrous consequence”. He said Tamil Nadu could not ask for irrigation purposes the water Karnataka needed for drinking in Bengaluru and other places. The matter related to the proposed board is pending before the apex court, he said.
While passions once again are speaking in Karnataka and pressure on its government to ignore the apex court order to release 6,000 cusecs is being built up, the Centre has been silent.
Siddaramaiah has said that the current order was not “implementable”.
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had submitted to the committee data about withdrawal of water, its utilisation, variation in rainfall and its impact on the actual run-off over a period of 29 years in their respective Cauvery basin areas, according to a source.
Even as the state government is in a bind, elected representatives from Mandya cutting across party lines have threatened to resign. Her mother Yellamma revealed that her daughter had just returned home around noon (on September 12) when some men known to her came over and asked her to join the protests.
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As a result, Karnataka has to release 42,000 cusecs in seven days or 12,000 cusecs more than 30,000 cusecs the panel directed to release in 10 days. He is also likely to meet senior party leaders. A senior police officer stated that investigation is still ongoing and it is not yet clear if bhagya was leading the mob.
