Pralhad Joshi, State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has urged Rahul Gandhi, vice-president of the Congress, to make his party’s stand clear on the sharing of the Mahadayi waters during his coming visit to Karnataka.
As the cooperation of the leaders of the Congress, which is in the Opposition in Goa and Maharashtra, was essential to resolve the issue, Mr. Gandhi should make his party’s stand clear, Mr. Joshi told presspersons here on Friday.
During the Goa Assembly election campaign in 2007, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said her party would not allow Karnataka to use the Mahadayi waters. The then Congress government in Goa had approached the Supreme Court against the project in 2008. Even the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre had told the Supreme Court that the issue should be resolved by the tribunal, he said.
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Mr. Joshi said the agitation over the Kalasa-Banduri nala, the tributaries of the Mahadayi, has intensified in Karnataka, and it was necessary to resolve the issue expeditiously. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told the all-party delegation from Karnataka that met him recently, that he would intercede if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was able to convince the Congress leaders in Maharashtra and Goa on the need to evolve an out-of-tribunal settlement for the problem, he said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah should follow the suggestion of the Prime Minister and convene a meeting of the leaders of the ruling and Opposition parties of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
The Karnataka BJP unit was ready to convince its leaders in Maharashtra and Goa about the need to implement the project to protect the interests of people in the parched regions of north Karnataka.
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Mr. Siddaramaiah should take the responsibility of convincing the Congress leaders in Goa and Maharashtra. Mr. Gandhi had a responsible role to play in this. As a first step towards resolving the dispute, the stakeholders should agree to at least keep the projects related to the tributaries of Mahadayi, including Kalasa-Banduri, out of the purview of the tribunal, Mr. Joshi said.
He alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka had failed to rescue the farmers, who were in distress owing to drought. The progress of relief works in the drought-affected taluks was not on expected lines. In all, 460 farmers had committed suicide in Karnataka since June this year. Of them, only 169 families had got compensation. As Mr. Gandhi would be coming to Karnataka to visit the families of farmers, who had committed suicide, the government should distribute the compensation, before his arrival, he said.
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa, member of Rajya Sabha Ayanur Manjunath, and R.K. Siddaramanna, MLC, were present.
During Goa Assembly poll campaign in 2007, Sonia Gandhi had said Karnataka would not be allowed to use Mahadayi waters.
Pralhad Joshi,
State president,
Bharatiya Janata Party
‘In 2008, the Congress government in Goa had approached Supreme Court against Kalasa-Banduri project’
‘Progress of relief measures in drought-hit taluks not on expected lines’