The Hindu : Jayalalithaa `sets the record straight' on Cauvery issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 30, 2002

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National

Jayalalithaa `sets the record straight' on Cauvery issue

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Aug. 29. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa has joined issue with the Union Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi, on his statement to the media on the pro-rata distress formula for sharing the Cauvery waters.

In a statement released here today, Ms. Jayalalithaa said, ``The point to be noted is that as long as I was present at the meeting of the CRA, the Union Minister for Water Resources agreed that the pro-rata distress formula had already been worked out and discussed at length in the 13th Monitoring Committee meeting.

``After I walked out on account of the unrelenting and unreasonable stand taken by the Karnataka Chief Minister, a statement was given unilaterally by the Union Minister to the media that the pro-rata distress formula had not yet been worked out and that they would work it out in 15 days.

``He also went on to state that I walked out of the CRA meeting because I wanted the pro-rata distress formula to be worked out right then and there and I was not willing to wait for 15 days. This is quite contrary to the sequence of events which really took place in the meeting.

``I have to point out that the records of the 13th Monitoring Committee meeting will bear out the fact that the pro-rata distress formula already worked out by the Central Water Commission was discussed at length in the meeting.''

She said the distress formula was evolved by the Central Water Commission as early as the end of April 2002 and circulated to all the States.

Tamil Nadu agreed to this distress formula.

``I therefore pointed out that when this formula of pro-rata distress sharing had already been worked out and discussed for more than three hours in the 13th Monitoring Committee meeting, there was no need for any further discussion on the same matter.

However, the Karnataka Chief Minister was intransigent and kept on insisting that any further discussion on this issue could be held by or after the end of September 2002'', she added.

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