After setback in SC, CM under pressure to bail Karnataka out of Cauvery mess
Siddaramaiah on Thursday has come under pressure to bail Karnataka out of the crisis arising out of Supreme Court’s refusal to interfere with the orders to release 5000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. The Opposition BJP and JDS targeted him, accusing him of compromising on the state’s interests in Cauvery water to strengthen the Congress party’s bonding with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are ruled by political parties that are also members of the Opposition bloc INDIA, and the BJP and JDS linked the state’s setback in the apex court to the Congress party’s political compulsions.
The state government is battling a crisis as the apex court has refused to interfere with the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) September 12 order asking Karnataka to release 5000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from the morning of next day.
The development sparked protests and road blockades by farmer groups and sugarcane growers in the Old Mysuru region including Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts.
BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa blamed the government for the mess, saying the State ended up with an adverse outcome as the government failed to furnish the correct data to the court. The government clearly demonstrated a lack of preparedness, and the government should take responsibility for the loss, he added.
JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy said Karnataka suffered injustice because Congress party's political interests were intertwined with that of the ruling DMK.
