Karnataka CM, DyCM to meet Karnataka MPs, state to appeal in Supreme Court

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar are holding a meeting with Members of Parliament (MPs) from Karnataka, including Union Ministers, in New Delhi on Wednesday morning to discuss the Cauvery water-sharing issue.

The CM left for New Delhi on Tuesday night. Sources said the CM and the DyCM will also hold a meeting with the state’s legal team.

During the meeting with the MPs, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will explain to them the situation on the ground and measures taken by the State Government to protect the state’s interests. They will urge the MPs to take up the issue in the Parliament and also put pressure on the Union Government to come to Karnataka’s rescue, informed sources said.

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs every day for 15 days.

Shivakumar said they will also meet the union ministers. He said Karnataka is caught in a catch-22 situation after the CWMA directive. “We do not have water, but still we have to respect the authority’s decision. We are appealing before the Supreme Court,” he told reporters.

The DyCM said since there are no inflows, Karnataka is finding it difficult to release water, and the Centre has to help the state.

Rejecting the Opposition’s demand that Karnataka should continue the legal fight and not release water, Shivakumar said the state is appealing before the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, former CM and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said by making repeated mistakes, the State Government was putting people in a quandary. What’s there to argue in the Supreme Court as it was ready to honour the directives of the Cauvery Water Management Authority to release water to Tamil Nadu, the former CM questioned.

Bommai said Karnataka filed an affidavit before the apex court that it cannot release water after September 12 and the government must stick to that stand. He said taking an all-party delegation to Delhi to meet the PM was nothing but misleading the people.