BENGALURU: Lashing out at Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for his statement that the Union Environment Ministry would not give permission for Karnataka’s Mahadayi project, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that the state would start the work. “We will withdraw our petition from the Supreme Court and start the work. I will see who stops it,” the DyCM, who also holds the water resources portfolio, said.
Sawant had told the Goa Assembly on Tuesday that he was told by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav that the Centre would not permit Mahadayi project.
“Goa CM has lost his mental balance; he doesn’t respect the federal system. The tribunal has given its verdict on Mahadayi, and we have already called for the tender. BJP leaders, including Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, had even celebrated that the project would take off soon,” Shivakumar said.
“I will meet all the MPs from Karnataka and seek their support. This is a matter of self-respect for the state. It is wrong on the part of the state MPs not to raise their voice. We can’t sell our state just for one MP from Goa. I urge the MPs from the state to put pressure on the Centre. I will try to take an all-party delegation to Delhi,” he said, adding that an all-party MPs meeting would be called.
“The Union Jal Shakthi minister is impartial on the matter, he won’t do politics on this. I have met him four-five times. The Union Environment Minister will also not do politics on this issue. Both of them support development works. The issue is with Goa,” Shivakumar clarified.