CM Bommai terms Congress' Mekedatu padayatra politically motivated, says people can't be fooled again

As Congress launched its 11-day padayatra seeking early implementation of the Mekedatu drinking water project on Sunday, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the Congress party has undertaken politically motivated Mekedatu padayatra to fool the people.

As Congress launched its 11-day padayatra seeking early implementation of the Mekedatu drinking water project on Sunday, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the Congress party has undertaken politically motivated Mekedatu padayatra to fool the people. "Congress party has undertaken politically motivated Mekedatu padayatra to fool the people. But you can't fool the people again and again," Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

Speaking to media persons today, he said, "The Congress government failed to submit a proper Detailed Project Report (DPR) during its five-year term. The Congress party has no commitment. DK Shivakumar himself was the Water Resources minister in the previous coalition government and then too, no concrete action was taken in this regard. The party had not bothered to raise its voice for the project in the last three years." "Now as the assembly elections are approaching, they have taken out the Padayatra with political motivation. A sense of guilt is haunting them as they had not done anything for implementing the project during their reign in power. So they are out here to fool the people. This is a political Padayatra," Bommai said.

Slamming Congress further, Bommai said, "Congress has not worked with commitment for any irrigation project. They had vowed to provide Rs 10,000 crore for Upper Krishna Project during their Krishna padayatra. But in their 5-year term they failed to release even Rs 7000 crore." Notably, from May 2013-2018, Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister representing the Indian National Congress.

BJP has proved its commitment for the Mekedatu project, he said and added that "After I became the Chief Minister, the DPR has been sent for approval by the Central Water Commission and Cauvery Monitoring Board. A meeting over the project would be held this month and suitable decisions are expected." "The state government has geared up on the legal front too before the Supreme Court," Bommai said.

The Chief Minister highlighted that in the past, the National Green Tribunal had taken a serious view on just a visit of some farmers' outfits to the project site and had issued a stay order for the project. "Now Congress has launched a programme on a large scale and the Congress leadership is aware of the consequences. But still, politicking remains to be their priority," Bommai said. "Congress would not have launched the Padayatra if the leaders were sensible about the legal issues of inter-state water dispute, Cauvery Tribunal award and court orders involved in the Mekedatu project. But Congress leaders are interested only in politics. People will take the call on this issue," Bommai said.

"Congress could not prepare even a DPR when it was in power. As a saying goes 'digging a mountain to catch mice', all they did was to prepare a feasibility report of the project," the Chief Minister said. "A notice has been served for Congress party against taking out the Padayatra violating Covid norms. Action in accordance with law would be taken against any violation," he said.

The Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum drinking water project, to be constructed across the Cauvery river basin, has been at the centre of controversy between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Earlier too on July 12, 2021, Bommai had said that the Centre will have to give clearance to the project as per law and there is no reason the state government will stop the project. (ANI)

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