Date:10/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/10/stories/2007021008020400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rajya Sabha members from State must resign: Vatal

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: The Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha leader, Vatal Nagaraj, MLA, on Friday demanded that the Rajya Sabha members from the State, M. Venkaiah Naidu, M.A.M. Ramaswamy, Rajiv Chandrashekar and Vijay Mallya, resign from the House for keeping silent over the injustice done to the State by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

Raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Nagaraj said that while he understood that Mr. Naidu from Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Ramaswamy from Tamil Nadu and Mr. Chandrashekar from Kerala were silent because they were not Kannadigas, Mr. Mallya, though a Kannadiga, was more interested in the Aero India show than the plight of the State's farmers.

Mr. Nagaraj and Dhruva Narayan wanted to know why the Government was hesitating to move an unanimous resolution rejecting the award.

Mr. Nagaraj walked out of the House in protest against the Government's delay in rejecting the tribunal's final award.

Water Resources Minister K.S. Eshwarappa said the tribunal had done injustice to the farmers of the State. He said the Government would complete nine projects this year and take steps to stop seepage in canals in the Cauvery basin to save water. Funds would be earmarked for canal repairs.

The Minister declared that he would resign if he was unable to protect the interests of farmers.