Cauvery row: Deve Gowda urges PM Modi to form committee to assess water, crop situation in K’taka

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 25 (ANI): Amid the ongoing Cauvery river water sharing dispute with Tamil Nadu, Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) MP HD Deve Gowda on Monday in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested for a team of experts to study the water and standing crop situation in Karnataka.
“I've made an appeal to the PM on the prevailing situation. In my letter to the PM, I wrote that the Jal Shakti department should file a review petition and a committee of experts should be sent to Karnataka to study the water and standing crop situation. I requested the same to the Vice President of the country,” the ex-PM said in a joint press briefing with JD(S) leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy.
The JD(S) supremo further said that his party is here ‘to save the people’ of the state.
“I don't want to speak on alliance and other issues at present. I'm only speaking pertaining to Cauvery. I don't want to say anything related to bandh called tomorrow. I'm alive not for politics or power. We are here to save the people of the state. My party exists for this. I was crying when I was speaking in parliament about Cauvery,” he added.
HD Kumaraswamy, while speaking in the press conference, hit out at the state government and said that it completely failed in the fight for Cauvery river water.
“Why did this government release water to Tamil Nadu? The state government is playing with the life of the people. Why do we have the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA)? Why should we release water even if CWMA and the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) order us to? Even SC asked many times, why the government is going to court again and again,” the former CM said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and JDS for ‘playing politics’ on Cauvery issue.
“In a democracy, one can hold protests. We are not going to disrupt the protest. BJP-JD(S) are playing politics on this issue. There is a hearing before the Supreme Court tomorrow regarding the Cauvery issue. Our lawyers will present a competent argument,” Siddaramaiah said while talking to reporters in Vidhan Sabha.
While Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that it will be difficult to release water in the current situation the state is bound to follow the Supreme Court’s directions.
“It will be difficult to release (Cauvery) water in the current situation, but we have to follow the direction of the Supreme Court as well. We have to respect the court. We have to protect the interests of our state no matter what. This is our duty,” DK Shivakumar said.
Farmers across Karnataka have been protesting since the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) ordered the state to release 5000 cusecs of water to its neighbouring state Tamil Nadu, for 15 days, effective from September 13.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra on Thursday while refusing to interfere in the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said both CWMA and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) are regularly meeting and monitoring the water requirements every 15 days.
The court declined to entertain an application filed by the Tamil Nadu government to increase its current share of Cauvery water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs per day.
Tamil Nadu has sought fresh directions for the release of Cauvery River water from Karnataka, claiming that the neighbouring State had changed its stand, and had released a reduced quantum of water as against what was agreed upon earlier. (ANI)