‘Caught napping’: BJP MP Tejaswi Surya slams Karnataka govt over Cauvery water row

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 25 (ANI): Taking a jibe at Karnataka government over the ongoing Cauvery water dispute with Tamil Nadu, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejaswi Surya on Friday said that it was ‘caught napping’ while the latter got permission to release water.
“The primary responsibility for ensuring parity and justice for the state before the Cauvery Water Management Authority as well as the Supreme Court lies primarily before the state government,” MP Surya said while speaking to ANI.
He further said, “Over the last few weeks, the state government was caught napping while the Tamil Nadu government moved the Cauvery Water Management Authority and got an order to release 15 thousand cusecs of water. What was the state government doing then? The fact is Karnataka government couldn’t convince the TN water authority.”
MP Surya accused the Karnataka Chief Minister for resorting to ‘politicking’ in the matter and added that this is an indication of the state government’s failure.
"It is unfortunate that the Karnataka CM is politicking in a matter as grave & as serious as the Cauvery water issue. Karnataka received 42 per cent less rainfall this year. Not only are lakhs of farmers in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka dependent on the water, but almost a crore of people in Bengaluru are dependent on the Cauvery water for drinking water purposes. This is an indication of state government failure,” he added.
Responding to the state government’s decision to scrap National Education Policy, 2020, and introduce a state education policy, MP Surya said that NEP was drafted after nationwide consultation from states. He further said that the education is an issue beyond the politics.
“The National Education Policy discussions were attended by all of these states in all those meetings. Even after the NEP was published and it was given a sanction none of the states who are now making a hue and cry about it not even protested. Senior leaders of congress party on record welcomed and appreciated the NEP. It was drafted after a nationwide consultation, largest consultation by any government ever done to draft an education policy,” he said.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting ISRO centre in Bengaluru to meet the scientists, MP Surya said, “The PM is in Greece now. On the official delegation to represent India at BRICS. The PM spoke to the nation and addressed the scientists after the Chandrayaan-3 launch. Made it abundantly clear that his first priority would be to personally come to ISRO and meet the scientists. The vested interest of him in science and technology is the reason for him to directly coming to Bengaluru rather than going to Delhi.”
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government on Thursday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court in the Cauvery water-sharing dispute opposing Tamil Nadu’s application for the release of 24,000 cusecs of water daily per day from the reservoirs in Karnataka.
Karnataka government said that Tamil Nadu’s application is based on an assumption that this year is the normal rainwater year.
The government said that Tamil Nadu’s application that Karnataka to ensure the release of 36.76 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) stipulated for September 2023 has no legal basis since the said quantity is stipulated in a normal water year and this water year, being a distressed water year so far, it is not applicable.
The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry with respect to the water-sharing capacities. (ANI)