Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Monday described the Supreme Court verdict on Cauvery river water dispute as “unfavourable” to Karnataka and demanded to know what the State government’s action plan was to prevent the Centre from forming a Cauvery management board.
The court had directed the Centre to constitute the board in six weeks’ time.
Mr. Gowda, who had refused to comment on February 16 when the court gave its judgement, told reporters in Bengaluru that instead of taking the verdict seriously, the Congress government in Karnataka was “celebrating the outcome without understanding the gravity of the issue.”
Refers to TN CM's memorandum to PM
Referring to the memorandum submitted by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of launching “Amma Scooter Scheme” to set up a Cauvery management board, the Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch said the Congress government had no plans to counter Tamil Nadu’s move.
Accusing both the ruling Congress and BJP of “not protecting the interest of over three crore people in the Cauvery basin,” he said: “Both are busy blaming each other over percentage of commission in public works.” He sought to know who would be responsible in case the Centre goes ahead with its decision to constitute a Cauvery management board to please Tamil Nadu “to teach a lesson to the Congress in Karnataka.”
However, he refused to spell out his own party’s plans to protect the interest of farmers in the Cauvery basin. He said he would disclose his strategy shortly, after studying the plan of action of both the national parties.
Published - February 26, 2018 03:40 pm IST
