Date:15/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/15/stories/2007021514760400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Spell out stand on Cauvery issue, says Somashekar

Special Correspondent

B. Somashekar

Bangalore: President of the State unit of the Janata Dal (United) and former Minister, B. Somashekar, has demanded that the State Government immediately spell out its stand on the Cauvery issue.

He told presspersons here on Wednesday that although 10 days had passed after the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal gave its final award, the Government had not spelt out its stand. All that it had done so far was to hold an inconclusive all-party meeting which could not take stock of the situation since the full text of the CWDT award was not available at that point of time.

Mr. Somashekar said the State Government should file a special leave petition before the Supreme Court. As such, the amendments to the Inter-State River Disputes Act should be challenged and further in the background of the recent order of the Supreme Court pertaining to the ninth schedule of the Constitution, the order of the CWDT was also open to judicial scrutiny. Added to all this, the final award was neither "based on facts nor on merits".

He said with the legislature in session, the Government should ensure the unanimous passage of a resolution rejecting the final award and also calling upon the Union Government to refrain from gazetting the final order of the CWDT. Should there be any delay, there was always the possibility that the Tamil Nadu Government would score over Karnataka in getting the final award notified.

Mr. Somashekar said the coalition Government was postponing a decision on the Cauvery issue and was repeatedly stating that it had left to all the political parties to arrive at a decision on what action the Government should take on the important matter. However, in various other important matters like the proposed abolition of arrack or the proposed waiver of farm loans, the Government had not cared to consult the Opposition.