The ruling Congress government in Karnataka held an all-party meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Cauvery water-sharing issue in view of the low inflow of water into the reservoir due to poor rains.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah chaired the all-party meeting called at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru to discuss the water dispute issue.
CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, former Chief Minister & BJP leader BS Yediyurappa, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, Lok Sabha MP Sumalatha Ambareesh and several other leaders are present at the meeting.
Protesting voice grows in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai targeted Congress saying the dispute between two states revived after the commencement of the Siddaramaiah government.
"The whole problem started after Congress came to power in Karnataka...They created the problem for short-term political gains. Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said he will not even give one drop of water to Tamil Nadu. So he aggravated it further," he said.
The BJP leader asserted the Congress government in Karnataka has been creating problems for short-term political gains. The BJP accused Congress government in Karnataka of releasing less water to Tamil Nadu than it is legally required to do. The saffron party in Tamil Nadu alleged that the Karnataka government is delaying the implementation of the Supreme Court order.
What is the Cauvery water dispute?
The Cauvery water dispute is a long-standing issue between the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. The dispute is over the sharing of water from the Cauvery River, which is a major river in South India. The dispute has been going on for decades and has led to several rounds of litigation. In 2018, the Supreme Court of India ordered Karnataka to release 192 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu. However, the Karnataka government has been reluctant to comply with the order. This has led to tensions between the two states. The hope is that the Supreme Court will be able to help the two states reach a mutually agreeable solution to the Cauvery water dispute. This would be in the best interests of all the stakeholders involved.
