Ramesh Jigajinagi slams Siddaramaiah for seeking Narendra Modi's help

KALABURAGI: Union minister of state for drinking water & sanitation, Ramesh Jigajinagi, on Saturday lambasted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about convening a meeting of Chief Ministers of riparian states to resolve the vexed Cauvery dispute.

Mr Jigajinagi told the media here “On every major issue concerning the state, Mr Siddaramaiah wants to take it to the court of the Prime Minister. It is wrong on the part of the Chief Minister to seek the Prime Minister’s intervention in each and every matter. Does he (Chief Minister) not know what stand the courts have taken on such issues earlier?”

Mr Jigajinagi alleged that the state government had failed to present its case before the Supreme Court necessitating the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

‘Unfortunate’
“It is unfortunate that the SC has ordered daily release of 15,000 cusecs of water at a time when there is severe drought in the state, and most reservoirs including those in the Cauvery basin have no adequate water storage. Why did the state government not listen to the advice of advocates who were against going on appeal to the court? To cover up such bungling, the state government wants to rope in the Prime Minister”, he alleged.

On the other hand, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, M Mallikarjun Kharge, felt that it was the opportune moment for Mr Modi’s intervention, the Union Minister said.

“The Prime Minister should talk to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, and Chief Ministers of other riparian states to amicably resolve the dispute”, he added while maintaining that the state government had presented the state’s case before the apex court.