Tuesday, Sep 17, 2002
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Tamil Nadu
By Our Special Correspondent
The Union Minister for Environment and Forests and DMK leader, T.R. Baalu, has described Mr. Krishna as a statesman who cared for the farmers of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Speaking to presspersons today, Mr. Baalu lashed out at the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, for her statement to the Press (published on Sunday) blaming the Opposition parties in her State and the Union Ministers for their attitude on the Cauvery issue. Mr. Baalu said that he was in public life for the last 40 years and his loyalty to Tamil Nadu could not be questioned. It was the DMK leader, M. Karunanidhi, who restored the rule of law in Tamil Nadu and was instrumental in the setting up of the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal, which had allocated 205 tmcft. to Tamil Nadu in its interim award On the other hand, Ms. Jayalalithaa was "autocratic and overbearing in her attitude towards everyone, including the Opposition parties.'' "She had not cared to build up a consensus in Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue. She was uncooperative with everyone including the Centre and the leaders of the farmers in the Cauvery delta of the State". Mr. Baalu said Mr. Krishna had maintained cordial relations with the Opposition parties and discussed the issue with them as also the leaders of the farmers. He built up a consensus on the issue in his State. Ms. Jayalalithaa "does not care'' for the farmers of Tamil Nadu and the entire political set-up there. The Union Minister charged Ms. Jayalalithaa with failing to place facts and figures before the Cauvery River Authority, thereby jeopardising the interests of Tamil Nadu. He refuted her charge that the 10 Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu, including himself, lacked clout and had failed to exert pressure on the Prime Minister, A.B.Vajpayee, to render justice to Tamil Nadu with regard to Cauvery waters. Referring to Ms. Jayalalithaa's praise for the efforts of the Union Minister for Urban Development, Ananth Kumar, in safeguarding the interests of Karnataka, Mr. Baalu said that those from Tamil Nadu too were responsible Ministers and had access to the Prime Minister. "But they could not indulge in the type of acting and dramatics that Ms. Jayalalithaa was used to". Moreover, the Cauvery dispute was in the Supreme Court and was sub judice. Mr.Baalu also said that without working out a distress formula to benefit the farmers of the two States, nothing could be achieved. Later, speaking to a television channel, he quipped that Ms.Jayalalithaa perhaps cared more for the farmers of Karnataka than those of Tamil Nadu (he was alluding to her Mysore origin). Accusing the AIADMK of adopting double standards, Mr.Baalu said that when the DMK was in power, it had led an all-party delegation to Delhi to meet the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, on the Cauvery issue. But when the delegation met Rajiv Gandhi, the AIADMK leaders were conspicuous by their absence. Perhaps an opportunity to solve the dispute was lost.
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