India News | Karnataka Home Minister Warns Action Against Cong Leaders for March Demanding Mekedatu Reservoir

Bengaluru, Jan 11 (PTI) With the Congress in Karnataka moving ahead with its 'walk for water' demanding a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river in Mekedatu in Ramanagara district amid rising COVID cases, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Tuesday said the government will take appropriate action at an appropriate time.

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"We will take an appropriate action at an appropriate time. It's not that we are letting them go. We are taking action. We are registering cases," Jnanendra said while briefing reporters on the virtual meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on COVID-19.

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The minister alleged that those participating in the 'Padayatra' were getting infected while many did not get themselves tested despite symptoms.

To a query why the government permitted the Congress and let them continue with their march, Jnanendra said there was no permission given to them.

"Congress is a responsible opposition party, which had run the government in the past. We are waiting for them to stop or postpone the padayatra on their own," Jnanendra said.

He ruled out appealing to the Congress to withdraw its march.

"We haven't thought of appealing to them. They have to make up their mind and stop the padayatra," the minister said.

He accused former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had reportedly asked the BJP government why it did not execute the project when it was in power from 2008 to 2013, of misleading people on the Mekedatu issue.

"During that time (from 2008 to 2013), the case was pending before the Cauvery Water Tribunal and the court. After 2013, all the pending cases were cleared when Siddaramaiah took over. He could have done it after that," the minister said.

He alleged that the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government behaved irresponsibly and did nothing except for taking five years to get a feasibility report.

Claiming that the previous Congress government did injustice to the people of Karnataka with regard to the Mekedatu issue, the minister demanded that Siddaramaiah apologise for it.

To a query on what has been done in the last two-and-half years, Jnanendra said the BJP government got the stay vacated in July.

"Just when we did almost everything (for Mekedatu project), these people took out the padayatra," the minister said.

Hitting out at the Congress, the minister said the project is a sensitive issue with a bearing on the interstate relationship between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

"It's a sensitive issue. Tamil Nadu will not sit idle. By taking out padayatra, the Congress has attempted to scuttle the project," Jnanendra alleged.

The balancing reservoir project was mooted by the Karnataka government to utilise the state's share of Cauvery water to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru and neighbouring districts. However, the Tamil Nadu government is opposed to the project saying that it will hurt the interests of their state, especially farmers.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)