Bengaluru: Former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday demanded the state government not to convene all-party meet to discuss Cauvery water dispute since Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Water Resources Minister M B Patil are not serious about Cauvery water dispute.
Criticising Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Water Resources Minister M B Patil for issuing different and confusing statements on Cauvery water issue, Kumaraswamy said the chief minister had claimed that he had not seen the expert report on Cauvery water issue while the water resources minister claimed Karnataka would have no problems to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. “The chief minister has been trying to shift the blame on other political parties by convening all-party meetings. Water resources minister has become an expert on Cauvery water in the state. The minister said there will be no problems for Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, while Karnataka’s counsel Fali S Nariman argues in the Supreme Court about the shortage of drinking water in Cauvery basin,” Kumaraswamy said.
Welcoming the judgment of Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) quashing the state government’s order of cancelling postings of 362 probationary officers, the JD(S) leader advised the state government not to go on and appeal against the KAT judgment.
He also criticized Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad for not accepting the resignation of former revenue minister V Srinivas Prasad. “I do not know why Koliwad did not accept Srinivas Prasad’s resignation. The Speaker should have accepted it since Prasad himself submitted the resignation to him,” he said.
