The Hindu : PUCL appeal to farmers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 10, 2002

National

National

PUCL appeal to farmers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

K.G. Kannabiran, president of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, writes:

The PUCL is deeply disturbed by the recent trend of events in the dispute over the Cauvery river waters. We condemn the actions of the political parties of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, whose bickering has only served to heighten jingoism, nullify potential compromises and ensure that a terrible crisis remains unresolved. The people of both States, and the suffering farmers most of all, deserve far better.

Since the beginning of this dispute, we have seen nothing except endless political posturing by both sides. Each State Government has sought to heighten its own image as the victim. This is not to say that the Opposition parties in these States have been a model of honour. They too have hijacked the issue for their own purposes. Where they see gains in criticising the government, they have done so; where they have seen gains in supporting it, they have done so as well.

In all this, there has been no consistency no ideological stability and no effort at suggesting a solution. Instead, we have only seen plenty of fiery rhetoric and empty aphorisms.

These antics are not just affecting the farmers of both States, though they of course are the primary victims. Indeed, they are harming all of us, as they have begun to undermine the institutional structure of Indian democracy itself. Both sides have taken potshots at state institutions and placed themselves above the rule of law, a process that has culminated in Karnataka's recent defiance of the Supreme Court. In this context, we in the PUCL believe that nothing further can be expected from the political leaders of either State. Both sides have pushed their rhetoric to the point where they are now trapped by their own jingoism.

We, therefore, appeal to the farmers of Tamil Nadu and of Karnataka's to abandon these parties and come together to seek a solution themselves. We would suggest that the farmers, big and small of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, should send a team of delegates to the other State and, after studying the situation, sort out the differences in a mutually beneficial manner without affecting the federal polity and democratic system, which is the way of life of our Constitution. This will, importantly, pave the way for evolving a democratic and equitable water management politics.

This is not a problem that can be solved by adversarial and partisan politics, especially as practised in India today. We seem to have forgotten that cooperation across State and community boundaries is not only possible, not only desirable, but absolutely necessary for the survival of India as a whole. It is also necessary to realise that water resources are not the private property of the people of a particular region, as these rivers pass through one or more States before they enter the sea. These and other natural resources are not intended to be wholly appropriated but to be shared in accordance with the needs of the people through whose regions these rivers pass. It is this understanding which will preserve democracy within the federal structure of this country.

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