Rejecting the Opposition's demand seeking replacement of Senior Counsel Fali S Nariman, who is representing the state in the Cauvery row at the Supreme Court, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said that the senior advocate had immense knowledge of the dispute.
Shettar told reporters here on Sunday that his government will not pay heed to the Opposition’s demand following repeated directives of the apex court against the interest of the state.
Nariman, as head of Karnataka’s legal team on Cauvery, has been representing the case for the past four decades and the demand of the Opposition is unjustified, Shettar said and added that replacing Nariman will lead to legal complications and hurt the interest of the state.
Shettar said that a delegation on Monday comprising Union Ministers from the state and Opposition leaders will meet the Prime Minister and ask him not to notify the final award of the Cauvery Water Tribunal.
The CM clarified that he and his family members were not involved in any illegal activities. “I have already provided the details of my assets to the Lokayukta. Individuals with vested interests are making baseless allegations against me just to get political mileage,” he added.
On a query over ULB polls, Shettar denied that the government had any hidden agenda in postponing the polls.