BENGALURU: Karnataka has got a sense of moral victory in the legal battle over Mahadayi water. The Goa government has withdrawn its contempt petition against Karnataka in the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal.
Goa had filed the contempt petition after its Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar visited the Kalasa-Bhanduri project site and accused Karnataka of continuing its works to divert Mahadayi river waters to meet the drinking water needs of cities in North-Karnataka.
Welcoming Goa’s decision, Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah said, “We have stopped the work. We have not violated any court or tribunal orders. The Goa government went ahead with the contempt petition ignoring our contention. Now they have realised it and have withdrawn the petition.”
CM clarifies on his assets
Referring to a survey report that has listed Siddaramaiah as the 6th richest Chief Minister in the country with assets of Rs 13 crore, Siddaramaiah clarified that it included the assets of his brothers too as he had declared the assets as the head of the joint family. “I have become the head of the family after the death of my elder brother. I had declared the total assets of the siblings as the head of the joint family during the last assembly election. Now the property has been divided among the brothers,” Siddaramaiah clarified. “Apart from this 6.50 crore people of Karnataka are also part of my assets,” he added.
Hitting back at Prime Minister Modi’s allegation that Congress government in the state is “10% Commission government” Siddaramaiah said, “There is no commission deals in our government. It is the culture of previous BJP government. It was a 100% commission government.”