Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the state Cabinet has decided to defer the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till a special legislature session takes a stand on it. The Cabinet has decided to request Governor to convene the special legislature session at 11 am on Friday, September 23.
The decision was taken after a prolonged Cabinet meeting in the day and all-party meeting towards late evening, which was attended by popular and eminent Congress and JD(S) leaders including MPs and legislators.
“We have discussed the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu during the Cabinet meet convened in the morning. Later we convened an all-party meeting in the evening to discuss it. JD(S) leaders and farmers’ leaders have suggested us to convene special session of legislature to discuss the Supreme Court’s interim order of releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. The Cabinet which met after the all-party meet had taken a decision to request the Governor to convene special legislature session on September 23 at 11 am. The Cabinet also decided to defer the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till the special session of both Houses discuss the Supreme Court order on the release of Cauvery water,’’ Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister said that BJP leaders did not attend the meeting and the Union Ministers also skipped the meeting stating that they had to attend Union Cabinet meeting in Delhi. “Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda had advised me to talk to BJP leaders. I will talk to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, Opposition Leader Jagadish Shettar, Leader of Opposition in the Council Eshwarappa and Union Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals Ananth Kumar. I hope the BJP legislators will attend the special session of legislature and discuss the Supreme Court’s order,’’ the Chief Minister said.
Siddaramaiah had called for a Cabinet and an all-party meeting to chalk out the next step after Supreme Court directed Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs till September 27. Siddaramaiah, on Tuesday, had termed the apex court’s order as “unimplementable”.
Among the prominent leaders cutting across parties included Oscar Fenandes, Mallikarjun Kharge and Veerappa Moily from the Congress and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and JDS Floor Leader and party president H D Kumaraswamy attended the deliberations. “I am attending an all-party meeting after a long-time at Vidhana Soudha. I have advised the Chief Minister to convene special session of the legislature to discuss the Cauvery issue,’’ said former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
Expressing similar opinion, H D Kumaraswamy, JD(S) leader said the state government should not release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. “I want the state government to convene the special session of both Houses to discuss the Cauvery issue,’’ Kumaraswamy said.
BJP leaders, however, boycotted the all-party meeting, which was earlier announced by State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa while speaking to reporters at Shivamogga, in defiance to the call given by the Chief Minister yesterday convening the all-party meeting to resolve the century old dispute. Yeddyurappa further pitched for calling Assembly session immediately to decide on the issue and thereafter inform the apex court. Yedyurappa also alleged that the government failed to take any specific decision keeping interest of farmers in mind despite calling cabinet meeting, floor leaders meeting, all-party meeting for three or four times earlier.
The Supreme Court yesterday had directed Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu from September 21 till September 27. On the September 20, the Supervisory Committee had directed the state to release 3,000 cusecs.
A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and U U Lalit had also directed the Centre to constitute within four weeks the Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) as directed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in its award.
Meanwhile, sporadic protests continued in the river basin districts, especially Mandya, the epicentre of the Cauvery agitation since morning, where the agitators blocked Bengaluru-Mysuru road at various places. Cauvery Hitarakshana Vedike members and its President G Made Gowda staged upvasa satyagrah protesting against the Supreme Court order directing Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu till September 27.
Government, which has appealed for peace, has made elaborate security arrangements in the city and southern districts to ensure that no untoward incidents happen. State Reserve Police, City Armed Reserve Police, Rapid Action Force and Quick Reaction Teams have been deployed all over city. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrpC are in force.
The city police have prohibited sale of liquor and opening of bars, wine shops and pubs from 6 AM on Wednesday to 1 am Thursday in the commissionerate limits.
