Do not release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu: Bommai urges govt

Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai has urged the Karnataka state government not to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu under any circumstances, stating that the water currently available in Karnataka is barely sufficient even for drinking needs.

Speaking to the media in New Delhi, he launched a scathing attack on the state’s legal team and representatives in the regulatory authorities (CWMA/CWRC), calling their presentation of Karnataka’s case extremely weak.

“The water currently available in our reservoirs is just enough to meet Karnataka’s drinking water requirements. Therefore, it is not being used for any other purpose. Under these circumstances, Tamil Nadu is exerting pressure to release water. Although this is a long-standing dispute, the state’s representatives have failed to strongly present Karnataka’s actual plight before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). This failure is precisely why Tamil Nadu is repeatedly pressuring us for water. I have discussed this issue with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and he shares the same view,” Bommai said.

“Farmers in the state are already protesting. Protecting the interests of the state’s farmers is the primary duty of the state government. During our tenure, when similar orders were passed, we stood firm and did not release water. The current government should also take a similar resolute stance to safeguard the interests of our farmers and our drinking water needs, while aggressively pursuing the legal battle,” he urged.

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The Hans India