Former Chief Minister and president of the State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party B.S. Yeddyurappa has committed a “historic blunder” by not taking part in the all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister to discuss the fallout of the Supreme Court direction to release water from Cauvery, Congress leader Janardhan Poojary has said.
“He and his party men have done a historic blunder by staying away from the all-party meeting on Thursday. They have failed to respond to the concerns of the people. They will repent for this decision,” Mr.Poojary said.
Mr. Yeddyurappa and other MPs should have spoken openly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed their concerns over the Supreme Court’s verdict and sought his intervention. “They have failed to do it. You (BJP) have lost the opportunity to come back to power in Karnataka,” he said.
While appreciating the initiative of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to call on former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and then convene an all-party meeting, Mr. Poojary said it was in the interest of the people of the State that the Cabinet decided not to release water. “I hope legislators will decide to tender their resignations following the joint session of two houses of Karnataka Legislature on September 23. This will create a Constitutional crisis and force the Prime Minister to intervene."
Mr. Poojary termed as ‘unfortunate’ the “lack of statesmanship” on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in resolving the Cauvery dispute. The Centre should have exercised the power granted under Article 262 of the Constitution and frame a law to resolve the dispute.