Bengaluru, Oct 1 (DHNS) : The ruling Congress and the principal Opposition BJP on Friday blamed each other for Karnataka suffering a setback in the Supreme Court on the Cauvery issue.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the Union government appears to have let down Karnataka by readily agreeing to a suggestion by the apex court to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB). Besides, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti failed to provide justice to Karnataka, he charged.
The order to constitute the CMB within four days is unscientific. The state is not in a position to release water to Tamil Nadu under the present conditions. BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said the state government did not take seriously the BJP’s suggestion to seek change of the bench hearing the case in the SC. It is one of the reasons for the setback to the state in the SC. The BJP had made the suggestion at an all-party meeting convened by chief minister Siddaramaiah on September 28, he added.
Yeddyurappa criticised the head of Karnataka’s legal team Fali Nariman for not arguing for the state in the Supreme Court. “We have suffered setback because of this. Our own advocates have let us down... At least Nariman should have informed the court that the subject pertaining to CMB is pending before a larger bench. His decision not to argue was shocking,” he stated.
He, however, said that BJP will support whatever decision the government takes in the interest of the state.
JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda said the Supreme Court order is a tragedy for the state. “It seems there is no use talking about the issue any longer. Though the main petition challenging the final award of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal is coming up for hearing in the SC on October 18, the two-judge bench has given the order in a hasty manner. I do not want to comment on the judges. I appeal to people maintain peace,” he said.
Energy Minister D K Shivakumar said the state government will not accept establishment of the CMB. Inflow into the KRS reservoir is only about 3,000 cusecs, he added.