BENGALURU: Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy said that the Congress government in Karnataka has repeatedly failed to safeguard the state’s interests on the Cauvery issue and has kept its own legal team out of the decision-making process.
Kumaraswamy said the Karnataka government has completely failed to effectively manage the Cauvery water crisis, while Tamil Nadu had remained consistently proactive in pursuing its interests.
He also questioned the preparedness of DK Shivakumar, who had served as Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister for three years before becoming the Chief Minister. He said that Shivakumar was more focused on meeting Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala than on pursuing Karnataka’s interests on the Cauvery issue.
Speaking to media in New Delhi on Wednesday, the former CM alleged that the State Government had failed to consult the senior legal counsel representing Karnataka before the Supreme Court and the Cauvery authorities and committees.
He referred to the meeting of Karnataka MPs convened by Chief Minister Shivakumar in New Delhi, where senior counsel Mohan Katarki was reportedly not even provided a chair, and subsequently left the meeting.
Kumaraswamy said the incident reflected the government’s lack of seriousness in handling a matter of such importance. He also criticised the manner in which legal experts were treated at the all-party meeting held subsequently at the Krishna office in Bengaluru.
He questioned government’s decision to ignore experienced counsel when Karnataka’s case before the Supreme Court, CWMA and CWRC requires careful legal and technical handling.
“There has been no order from the Supreme Court on a distress-sharing formula, nor has any concrete action been taken by the Cauvery Committee or the Cauvery Authority. Karnataka should have been actively pressing for a mechanism to deal with distress situations,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said Tamil Nadu approached the Cauvery Authority in May, ahead of Karnataka’s expected water release in June.
