BENGALURU: The Tamil Nadu government’s application questioning the National Green Tribunal’s principal bench order, vacating the stay given by the tribunal’s southern bench on the construction of the Mekedatu balancing reservoir, will come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on January 11, Water Resources minister Govind Karjol’s office has said.
On Monday, the minister released a video and claimed yet again that Congress is responsible for the delay in the Mekedatu project. However, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and former water resources minister M B Patil refuted Karjol’s allegations. Siddaramaiah pointed out that the Supreme Court had decided on the issue in 2018, and questioned how the Congress can be blamed.
Karjol claimed that the then Congress government had spent Rs 2,637 crore for relief and rehabilitation of the Upper Krishna Project and asked the party to introspect why they had made such a small contribution in five years. “What right do they have to talk about Mekedatu,” he asked.
Congress leaders said Karjol took over as Water Resources Minister just a few months ago and perhaps did not possess all the details. “Please do not misrepresent facts,” Siddaramaiah told Karjol. He also questioned what the “double engine” BJP government was doing now for 30 months. Urban Development Minister Byrati Basavraj told TNIE, “The Congress could not complete so many works in the five years they were in power. D K Shivakumar, who is an MLA, could not complete the canal works in Kanakapura, and even as Water Resources Minister, he could only do so much..”
Stung by remark, DKS says he’ll keep mum for 3 days
KPCC president D K Shivakumar on Monday stoked a fresh controversy when he recalled Home Minister Araga Jnanendra’s remarks on the Mysuru rape incident. After the issue snowballed, he vowed not to speak for the next three days. On Monday, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra appealed to the Congress not to go ahead with the padayatra. Reacting to this, Shivakumar said in Kanakapura, “I pity his ignorance.” Sarcastically, he added, “I welcome his statement. It all started with the Mysuru rape issue and he got raped.” In August 2021, Araga Jnanendra had reportedly said, “The rape happened in Mysuru, but Congress party is trying to rape the home minister”, in an attempt to attack the Congress party’s harsh criticism over the Mysuru gangrape case.