K'taka AAP asks PM to convey all-party meeting to discuss state's issues

Bengaluru, Jan 13 (IANS) Karnataka unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold an all-party meeting as he is visiting the state thrice in January.

Prithvi Reddy, the State President of the party has written a detailed letter to Prime Minister Modi in this regard.

"Our cadres from across the state have been calling, texting, messaging and informing us of their utter surprise that you (PM Modi) will be visiting the state of Karnataka three times this month," the letter reads.

"They had herewith been expressing dismay over your utter lack of interest in grappling with the state's entrenched issues. The recent issues that citizens have attempted to draw your interest include pot-holed roads in Bengaluru and surrounding areas resulting in the death of nearly 40 people - you must remember that you had campaigned for a double-engine government.

In fact, Bengaluru citizens gave you a third engine with power in the BBMP, but we regret to inform you that you have let down the citizens very badly.

Our cadres have been up in arms over the step-motherly treatment meted out to Kannada language which only received a meagre Rs 1 crore in 2017-18, Rs 99 lakh in 2018-19 and Rs 1.07 crore in 2019-2020.

This is extremely small as compared to Tamil which received Rs 10.59 crore in 2017-18, Rs 4.65 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 7.7 crore in 2019-20."

He said that while Karnataka is duty bound to release 174.25 tmc of water to Tamil Nadu in terms of the CWDT and Supreme Court directions, the citizenry has noticed with alarm that over 400 tmc has been flowing into the sea through Tamil Nadu which has no mechanism to hold that water nor to utilise it.

"In this light, the people of Karnataka had been pleading for your intervention to resolve this issue in terms of the Supreme Court direction, yet, you have refused to entertain any all-party delegation from our State on the subject," it read.

"You will recall that your predecessors in office regularly entertained all-party delegations of this nature. It is noted with deep regret that despite wasting record amounts of water into the sea, Tamil Nadu has recently passed a resolution in its assembly objecting to the Mekedatu project which seeks to harness about 67 tmc of water for energy production and to serve in lean years," the letter further read.

With regards to the Mahadayi, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shri Prahlad Joshi tweeted an undated Office Memorandum being file number T-28027/2/2022-PA(S)DTE on 29th December, 2022 which appears to be the CWC Clearance for the Mahadayi Drinking water Project.

This is indeed a welcome development.

He said that it must be remembered that it was the Central Government which had accorded in-principle clearance to the project even after considering the misgivings of Goa on April 30, 2002.

It was the same BJP-led NDA that placed the in-principle clearance in "abeyance within 5 months of providing clearance on September 19, 2002."

In 2006, Goa filed a suit in the Supreme Court in which the Centre constituted the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal on September 22, 2010 presided by Supreme Court Judge Justice J.M. Panchal. The MWDT, after detailed arguments from Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra decided the dispute by delivering a Judgment on August 14, 2018.

If BJP's claim of "double engine" efficacy were justified, the Centre ought to have provided CWC clearance to the project immediately after B.S. Yediyurappa unseated the Coalition Government and assumed office as Chief Minister on July 26, 2019.

However, the clearance has now arrived timed appropriately with the Karnataka Election.

"Now that you will be in Karnataka, can we expect an appointment on these subjects for an all party meeting including our party,?" he asked.