Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party was laying the blame for its own failures on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Inaugurating the KPCC Backward Classes State Office-Bearers and District Presidents’ Convention here, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the State government, through its counsel Fali S. Nariman, had earlier given an undertaking to the Supreme Court that Karnataka would release 10,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu from September 12 to 20.
Scaling it down
During the subsequent meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA), chaired by the Prime Minister, the State government submitted an affidavit that it would release the same amount of water. The Prime Minister, during the CRA meeting, had scaled it down from 10,000 cusecs to 9,000 cusecs, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
“How can the government give such an undertaking to the apex court without discussing it with the Opposition and other stakeholder organisations? The State government cannot do such a thing when as many as 49 taluks in the Cauvery basin are reeling under drought,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
He accused Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar of “betraying” the people of the State by agreeing to release the scarce Cauvery waters and later laying the blame for it on the Prime Minister.
Tamil Nadu does not require so much water as about 47 tmcft is stored in Mettur dam.
Karnataka is unlikely to receive any more rain as the south west monsoon is over, while Tamil Nadu will receive rain during the north east monsoon, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said the people belonging to backward classes in the State will never get their due from the BJP, which has not only resisted the implementation of the Mandal Commission report, but has also opposed the 27 per cent reservation for backward classes in education.
The former Union Minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief said the minorities will follow the backward classes. “You are the engine and we will follow you like bogies,” he said.
A host of party leaders were present.
