New Delhi [India], August 12 (ANI): 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, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy alleged on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference here, Kumaraswamy strongly criticised the state government for failing to adequately consult and respect 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 DK Shivakumar at Karnataka Bhavan 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.
“The views of our legal experts should have been sought at the very outset. Instead, the government proceeded without adequate legal or technical consultation. This is a clear indication of the lack of foresight and preparedness in the way the Cauvery issue is being handled,” Kumaraswamy said.
He questioned how the government could afford to ignore the advice of experienced legal counsel when Karnataka’s case before the Supreme Court, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) requires careful legal and technical handling.
Kumaraswamy said the Karnataka government had completely failed to effectively manage the Cauvery water crisis, while Tamil Nadu had remained consistently proactive in pursuing its interests.
The CWMA and CWRC have directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Kumaraswamy said Tamil Nadu had been better prepared than Karnataka to deal with the situation.
“Karnataka was expected to begin releasing water from June, but Tamil Nadu approached the Authority as early as May. Instead of strengthening Karnataka’s legal position and preparing for the legal battle, the Chief Minister advised farmers in the Cauvery and Krishna basin regions not to cultivate crops. Ultimately, it was our farmers who suffered the losses. Even standing crops were lost due to lack of water,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said the difference in preparedness between the two states should serve as a wake-up call for Karnataka.
On the issue of a distress-sharing formula, Kumaraswamy said neither the Supreme Court nor the Cauvery authorities had so far put such a mechanism in place.
“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.
He also questioned the preparedness of DK Shivakumar, who had served as Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister for three years before becoming Chief Minister.
“Before becoming Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar was the Water Resources Minister for three years. What steps did he take during that period to address these issues?” Kumaraswamy asked.
Kumaraswamy launched a sharp attack on the Chief Minister over what he described as misplaced priorities.
“For three years, the focus was on the Chief Minister’s chair. After becoming Chief Minister, the focus shifted to Cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation. Today, the Cauvery issue appears to have taken a back seat to political priorities,” he said.
He alleged that the Chief Minister 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.
“Whenever the Chief Minister comes to New Delhi, has he met Karnataka’s legal team and discussed the Cauvery issue? What have Venugopal and Surjewala got to do with Karnataka’s Cauvery interests? The state’s interests appear to have become secondary to political considerations,” Kumaraswamy said.
He accused the Tamil Nadu government of pursuing the Cauvery issue aggressively at both the administrative and legal levels, while alleging that the Karnataka government had failed to match that level of preparedness.
Kumaraswamy also questioned the state government’s spending priorities, particularly the allocation of “Rs 1,000 crore” to organisations associated with the Bharat Jodo campaign.
“Farmers across the Cauvery basin have been unable to cultivate their crops. The government has failed to provide them timely assistance, yet it has the resources to spend Rs 1,000 crore on Bharat Jodo organisations. Whose money is this?” he asked.
He further questioned the government’s priorities, pointing out that farmers in Tamil Nadu are able to raise multiple crops while Karnataka’s farmers are struggling even to raise a single crop.
“You have time for politics and for acquiring farmers’ land, but you have no time for the Cauvery issue. You have time to visit the residences of your party leaders, but not to sit down with senior legal experts and prepare Karnataka’s case,” Kumaraswamy said.
Kumaraswamy warned the state government against responding to the Cauvery issue only after a crisis had emerged.
“You release water when the reservoirs are full after the rains and wake up only when the reservoirs are depleted and Tamil Nadu makes a demand. This is not how a government should prepare for a recurring water dispute,” he said.
He urged the state government to anticipate Tamil Nadu’s legal and administrative moves and prepare Karnataka’s response in advance.
“Do not wait for the crisis to emerge before preparing. Do not succumb to pressure from the neighbouring state. Make the necessary legal, technical and administrative preparations well in advance,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said the government had taken the Cauvery issue lightly for too long and urged it not to repeat the same mistakes.
“The interests of Karnataka’s farmers and the drinking water security of our people must remain the priority. The government must act with foresight and ensure that Karnataka’s case is strongly presented before every appropriate forum,” he said.
Member of Parliament M Mallesh Babu, MLA Samruddhi Manjunath and senior JD(S) leader from Vijayapura district BD Patil, among others, were present at the press conference. (ANI)
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