BENGALURU: The all-party leaders meeting convened to discuss the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute failed to reach a consensus on the future course of action to be taken by Karnataka. The meeting, which witnessed heated arguments between the Congress and the BJP leaders, ended with both the sides trading charges against each other.
Leader of the opposition in the Assembly, Jagadish Shettar, opposition leader in the Council K S Eshwarappa and other BJP leaders walked out of the meeting after Congress leaders suggested that an all-party delegation should meet the PM and seek his intervention.
Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “The BJP leaders did not accept the suggestion of taking an all-party delegation to the PM and they walked out of the meeting. Let Goa CM Manohar Parrikar convene a meeting, I am willing to attend it. I have also told the BJP leaders that we will try to convince the Congress leaders in Goa. However, they are insisting that we convince the Goa Congress leaders even before their CM calls a meeting. They are trying to politicise the issue,’’ Siddaramaiah said.
Saturday’s meeting was convened by the CM on the request of farmers as the Mahadayi Tribunal is hearing the matter next month.
Shettar said, “We are trying our best by talking to Goa Chief Minister, now let Siddaramaiah and his party president Rahul Gandhi talk to Congress leaders in Goa. The CM is not interested in solving the issue. Congress is trying to politicise it,’’ he added. Eshwarappa too accused the CM of not taking any initiative to solve the dispute.
Siddaramaiah said BJP president Amit Shah has not made any mention about the issue during his rallies in the state and the BJP leaders are asking them to talk to Congress president Rahul Gandhi. “Is he (Rahul) the Prime Minister of India? We will talk to him when he becomes the PM,’’ Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leaders.
He said they are trying to find a solution to the Mahadayi dispute by talking to Goa and Maharashtra, and have written 16 letters. “The Goa CM has not responded to any of our letters and instead wrote to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa. Even after that, we wrote and requested for a meeting, but there has been no response,’’ he said adding, he will again write to the PM.
Veeresh Sobaradmath, leader of farmers’ organisations from North Karnataka, said that farmers’ associations will discuss the future course of action, including writing to the PM and the President, and also about boycotting all three parties during the elections. Sobaradmath said, “For the February 4 Bengaluru bandh, it will be difficult for us to come to the city. We will decide about it later.”
Farmers upset
Farmers association representatives, who attended Saturday’s meeting were upset with behaviour of politicians. “Our agitation demanding water has been going on from 922 days, but there is no political will to solve it,’’ said Veeresh Sobaradmath, leader of farmers’ organisations from North Karnataka that are demanding implementation of the project.