Bengaluru: HD Deve Gowda, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo and former prime minister, on April 4 said that he would resign from membership of Praliament if the Cauvery Management Board is formed under Tamil Nadu’s pressure.
“The Central Government should not buckle to the pressure tactics being applied by the Tamil Nadu. I think the NDA government is doing its best by seeking sufficient time to study pros and cons of formation of the CMB,’’ Gowda said.
He said the MPs from Karnataka are not evincing interest in raising the issue in the parliament. “Union Minister Ananth Kumar can explain to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari about the difficulties Karnataka would face if the CMB is formed,’’ he said.
The JD(S) leader had earlier informed the government that the CMB should be set up if it benefited Karnataka and ensured 30-35 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water.
On February 16, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had directed teh government to form the CMB within six weeks in a verdict that marginally increased Karnataka’s share of Cauvery water, thus reducing the allocation for Tamil Nadu and settling the protracted water dispute between the two southern states.
As per the apex court’s order, the share of Cauvery water for Karnataka was raised by 14.75 tmcft. The court had reduced Tamil Nadu’s share while compensating the state by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water had to be placed on a higher pedestal.
