Shettar hinted at releasing water to TN: Siddaramaiah

Opposition Leader Siddaramaiah today said the reply given by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar in the assembly hinted at the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per Supreme Court orders.

"Shettar's reply on SC order of releasing 10,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till December 9 hinted at the release of water to Tamil Nadu," he told reporters after the adjournment of the second day's winter session held at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here, the state's second secretariat-cum-legislature complex. Shettar had earlier pointed out that disobedience of verdicts had adversely affected Karnataka farmers.

"In 1991 the then Karnataka government decided to pass an ordinance over release of water and this led to the CRA passing an interim order directing Karnataka to release 205 tmcft of Cauvery water per annum and specified the quantum of monthly release. This order hit us as hard as the 1924 pact between the Madras presidency and the erstwhile princely State of Mysore," he had said.

Siddaramaiah claimed the government had failed to effectively present the Cauvery case before the Supreme Court, Cauvery River Authority and Cauvery Monitoring Committee. "It has neither forcefully argued the case nor presented proper facts and figures over the issue," he said.

The government's earlier written undertaking to release 10,000 cusecs to Tamilo Nadu is the cause for all the trouble over Cauvery issue, Siddaramaiah said.

Asked what is the alternative for the government to resolve the stalemate over Cauvery dispute, Siddaramaiah said the state should convince CMC that it is not in a position to release water.

The state should also file review petition in Supreme Court, Siddarmaiah said.

Siddaramaiah said he was not against the Supreme Court order, but Karnataka did not have water for release to Tamil Nadu. "Our farmers are agitating against the release of the water. Our law and order will deteriorate if we release the water. People will rise in revolt," he said.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Virender Sehwag's traffic awareness programme turns into flop show

Karnataka polls: Mixed bag of luck for family politics

For Karnataka polls, P Chidambaram turns 'TV reporter'

Sonia Gandhi hails Karnataka showing, PM says BJP ideology rejected