'AP creating problems in border districts'

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, APRIL 30. The Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, today told Andhra Pradesh to desist from creating problems in the border areas and to resolve inter-State disputes through negotiations.

He was reacting to a question on the diversion of water, which was flowing into an irrigation tank in Honnagondanahalli village in Sira taluk of Tumkur District, by the Andhra Pradesh authorities. The tank's catchment area is in the Madakshira region in Ananthapur District of Andhra Pradesh.

Mr. Krishna said it was unfortunate that Andhra Pradesh was ``sowing problems'' in border districts such as Kolar and Tumkur. He had written to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, with regard to the tank issue.

He would ask the Minister of State for Irrigation (Mr. Kumar Bangarappa) and the Tumkur district in-charge Minister (Mr. T. B. Jayachandra) to visit the village and infuse confidence in the people. The Irrigation Department officials had told the villagers that their interests would be taken care of.

According to reports, Mr. Jayachandra has visited the village. The villagers of Honnagondanahalli and neighbouring villages are perturbed over the moves by the Andhra Pradesh authorities. Mr. C. P. Moodalagiriyappa, former Congress MP from Chitradurga, is reported to have criticised Mr. Jayachandra for inaction in the matter.

The Chief Minister said that Karnataka would safeguard its interests over Krishna river waters and added that it had the sanction of the Supreme Court which had allowed it to take the height of the Alamatti Dam to 519.6 metres.

Asked about the declaration by the people of a border village in Belgaum District that they belonged to Maharashtra and their action in erecting milestones over a stretch of three km with indications in Marathi, Mr. Krishna said that the pro-Maharashtra elements were a disgruntled lot. The popularity of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi was on the wane. At one time it had six MLAs but today it had none.

Call for change

Mr. Krishna called for amendment to the Representation of the People Act of 1951 to remove the bar on candidates convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in certain category of cases even though an appeal in the higher court was pending. He was referring to the rejection of the nomination papers of the AIADMK leader, Ms. Jayalalitha, by the returning officers of four Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu.

He noted that the conviction and sentence awarded to her by the designated court had been challenged in an appellate court. His remarks arose over a question on his decision to campaign for the Congress candidates contesting the elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly. To a question, he said that he did not feel uncomfortable to do so and noted that the leader of the AIADMK- led alliance, Ms. Jayalalitha, might be campaigning at some other place at that time.

Mr. Krishna cited the example of his own case. His election to the State Assembly for the first time in 1962 from Maddur was set aside in 1964 by the district and sessions court concerned and he was debarred from contesting elections for six years. In those days, district judges were dealing with election petitions.

However, the High Court reversed the decision of the lower court. When the opposite party went in appeal, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court verdict.

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