Demanding that the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre should not come out with the final notification on Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s Award till Karnataka’s petition regarding the sharing of the Cauvery waters was disposed of by the Supreme Court, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday declared that it would launch an agitation against the Congress in every street in the state if the Centre did not assure Karnataka of not going ahead with notification of the award in a hurry.
‘Death sentence’
Addressing a special meeting of the BJP’s Bangalore city workers and elected representatives here, party national general secretary Ananth Kumar said: “If the Centre comes out with a final notification on the tribunal’s award even before the Supreme Court disposes of Karnataka’s plea, it would not only go against the principles of justice, but also be a death sentence for Karnataka.”
He demanded that the Centre come out with an assurance to the people of the State that it would not act against their interests by notifying the award in a hurry.
Accusing the UPA of showing step-motherly attitude towards Karnataka in various aspects, Mr. Kumar alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had declined to give an appointment to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to meet him and explain Karnataka’s position on the Cauvery issue.
The Prime Minister had also declined to meet other leaders from Karnataka, including the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and BJP leaders from Karnataka who too wanted to discuss the Cavuery issue, he said. Mr. Kumar urged all the four Union ministers from Karnataka — M. Mallikarjun Kharge, M. Veerappa Moily, K. Rehman Khan and K.H. Muniyappa — to meet persuade the Prime Minister to promise Karnataka that the Centre would not notify the award in a hurry.
He said that people of Bangalore would face problems if the award was notified as the country’s IT capital needed 30 tmcft of Cauvery water for its drinking water requirements.
