Siddaramaiah ready to meet Manohar Parrikar any time: MB Patil

Belagavi: Responding to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's letter to state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa offering to divert 7.56 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi river to Karnataka, the state government has said it is ready for talks on the issue but wants the matter settled in one sitting without more delay.

Revealing that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was prepared to meet Mr Parrikar on any date and time he fixed, Water Resources Minister M B Patil recalled here on Friday that the Central Water Board had already in principle permitted Karnataka to use 7.56 tmc of water for drinking in 2002. 

“So the state does not want the Goa government to drag the issue out more, but close it once and for all in one sitting,” Mr Patil  added.

Although the letter written by Mr Parrikar to Mr Yeddyurappa was a serious violation of protocol, the state government would not make it an issue of it in the larger interests of the state and was ready to do everything possible to bring water to the flood-hit areas of north-Karnataka. 

“The Chief Minister is prepared to cancel all his scheduled programmes and tours to  meet the Goan Chief Minister. He has already directed Principal Secretary Rakesh Singh to contact his counterpart in Goa and organise the meeting in the next two or three days. He will hold a meeting of  leaders of all political parties, MPs, farmers leaders and experts before meeting the Goa Chief Minister,” Mr Patil explained.

Pointingo ut that when Mr Siddaramaiah repeatedly wrote to the Goa government and the Centre to divert the 7.56 tmc of water to the state through the Kalsa-Banduri nala, Goa Water Resources Minister, Vinod Palyekar had issued a statement last year accusing him of playing dirty politics. “But now  Mr Parrikar has replied to Yeddyurappa in 24 hours.  And instead of writing  to the CM as per protocol, he wrote to the state BJP chief. Actually, this is what I call dirty politics,'' he charged.