K’taka victim, not villain in Cauvery row: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the state was the “victim” and not the villain in the Cauvery river water dispute as it was being portrayed by some people.

“Some people at the national and international levels are saying Karnataka is not releasing water to Tamil Nadu. In a way, they are suggesting as if Karnataka is the villain. But, in reality, the state has been the victim and has been meted out injustice,” he said.

Addressing a gathering on the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at Gandhi Bhavan here, Siddaramaiah said in spite of the distress situation in the Cauvery basin, Karnataka had released a “substantial” quantum of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Supreme Court’s earlier direction. 

However, the September 30 directive of the apex court had left the state in a difficult situation, he said. Even though the water in the four Cauvery reservoirs in the state was “inadequate”, the state government’s first priority was to meet the drinking water requirements of the people of the Cauvery basin, the chief minister said, adding that the state needed to conserve water till 2017.

Meanwhile, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister TB Jayachandra said the government would file a review petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board. 

“We are filing a review petition. Of course, the law is there and the Inter-State Water Dispute Act is very clear. It (the board) has to be made by an Act of Parliament,” he said.