Seers lend support to Karnataka’s cause
MYSURU: Suttur Mutt seer Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami has said that Karnataka’s water requirements should be met first before releasing water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. In a statement here, the seer said that the issue needs to be addressed urgently in consultation with the Government of India, the Supreme Court, the Tribunal, and experts of neutral states.
He said the Cauvery dispute has been a burning issue for centuries. “Since the beginning, TN has gotten more than its share of water. The farmers of the Cauvery basin in Karnataka are continuously facing water shortages. Drinking problems in Mysuru and Bengaluru are escalating due to this. The end of this issue appears not to be in sight,” he said.
He further stated that the Karnataka government is always responding to the farmers’ plight of the neighbouring state and respecting the decisions of the Tribunal and the courts, despite stiff resistance from the people. “This should not be assumed as the weakness of the state by anyone,” he added. “The distribution of water needs to be based on the annual rainfall and water storage in the Cauvery basin. The problem continues as long as there is drought and a shortfall in rain. This needs to be addressed urgently... We strongly urge that the water requirements of Karnataka for agriculture and drinking should be met before releasing it to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sri Gurugunda Brahmeshwara Mutt seer Nanjavadhuta Swami came down heavily on the Parliamentarians from Karnataka for their silence on the Cauvery issue. The Vokkaliga seer, who took part in a padayatra organised by the Raitha Hitarakshana Samithi in Mandya on Wednesday, said, “The MPs from state must immediately protest in front of the Parliament and put pressure on the Centre to resolve the dispute. When a similar situation had arisen in the past, former PM HD Deve Gowda had held a protest in front of the Gandhi statue near Parliament forcing the then PM to intervene in the issue,” he said.