Bengaluru: Taking a swipe at Bharatiya Janata Party leaders over the Mahadayi river controversy, All India Congress Committee general secretary, K. C. Venugopal on Friday was caustic in his dismissal of the move by BJP leaders in the state to claim they were the prime movers for a solution, asking them why they were shying away from appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a meeting of all three chief ministers of Mahadayi basin and arrive at a solution to the vexed issue.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr Venugopal said, “The Congress party wholeheartedly appreciates BJP state president, B. S. Yeddyurappa for his efforts and showing keenness to resolve the crisis. He took pains to write a letter to Goa chief minister, Manohar Parrikar. That is also appreciated. But, I do not know what stopped him from speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and convincing him to hold a meeting of all three CMs of Mahadayi river basin to resolve this long standing dispute?"
Training his guns on the BJP, the AICC general secretary dubbed the “elaborate exercise” of the BJP' as nothing more than a “political stunt” and a cynical move to “play with the emotions of the North Karantaka farmers and people.” “Had Mr Yeddyurappa felt real concern for the people, he would have tried to convince Mr Modi to hold a meeting with all the stakeholders, instead of writing a letter to Mr Parrikar. Even Mr Parrikar violated the set norms by writing a letter to his party leader instead of the Chief Minister of the state. And the Goa Chief Minister, by writing a letter by to Mr Yeddyurappa, only indicates how the entire BJP is playing with people's sentiments," he charged.
