From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 2: The onus for prevailing upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene a meeting of all the Chief Ministers of the riparian States to find a permanent solution to the long-standing demand on implementing the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project by settling the Mahadayi river water sharing issue is on the 17 BJP Lok Sabha members and four Union Ministers, said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Talking to reporters after a prolonged all-party meeting, in which leaders of all political parties, farmers as well as religious pontiffs and other key persons were invited, the Chief Minister urged the BJP leaders to come to rescue of the people of the parched areas as the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project was essentially a drinking water project.
The Chief Minister promised to lead a delegation to meet the Prime Minister and impress upon as well as the Union Water Resources Minister on the need to implement the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project.
Siddaramaiah said he will write to Modi seeking a time and enclose all the copies of unanimous resolution adopted in the Karnataka State Legislative Assembly for the Prime Minister's intervention to resolve the issue outside the tribunal.
"Many inter-state drinking water issues have been resolved amicably outside the ambit of tribunals in the past. I am optimistic that this issue could be solved if Modi takes a lead to fix up a meeting of all three chief ministers concerned. If I am called for to meet the Prime Minister, I will not be attending it in bare hand. I will carry all letters related to this issue," he said.
Siddaramaiah said while the people have given a mandate to BJP at the Centre and elected 17 BJP members to Lok Sabha and therefore there was greater onus on them to convince the Prime Minister in this regard.
The union ministers from Karnataka - H N Ananthkumar, D V Sadananda Gowda, G M Siddeshwar and M Venkaiah Naidu - should use their good offices to prevail upon Modi for convening the meeting of three Chief Ministers' at the earliest to find out a solution to this long lasting problem of water sharing.
The Chief Minister said no Prime Minister in the past had mooted the idea of taking opposition party of any state to confidence to resolve any issue. But, Modi asked the Karnataka to do it and the same was done by seeking a time with the Chief Minister of Goa, LakshmikantParsekar, to meet the opposition party members.
However, Parsekar refused to entertain the proposal stating that the matter has to be resolved by tribunal, Siddaramaiah said.
Even Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharathi wrote to Karnataka government that it was not a good idea for the Prime Minister's intervention at this juncture when the tribunal was seized of the matter, the Chief Minister said.
"This clearly indicates politicisation of issue. I have never politicised issues pertaining to land, water or language and no one must do it. More than 136 taluks out of total 176 taluks were reeling under severe drought due to failure of rains," he explained.
Besides, he said over 200 tmcft of water was going waste without utilisation. Around 45 tmcft of water is generated in Karnataka.
"Drinking water is fundamental right of every citizen and it stands first among priorities. I am optimistic that Modi will take note of all these and convenes the meeting to provide water to parched areas of Karnataka," the Chief Minister said.
He said people of North Karnataka staged an eight hours rail roko in Hubballi recently demanding an action in this regard.
As promised to those people, the State Government has convened a meeting of leaders of all parties to discuss the issue.
"Many suggestions were given by leaders and religious heads and one among them has been meeting Modi again to resolve the four-decade ago row. I have agreed to their suggestions and I am willing to meet the Prime Minister again," he added.