Cauvery issue: BJP MP appeals to Karnataka and TN CMs to find an amicable solution to the water woes

BJP Rajya Sabha member Lahar Singh Siroya on Thursday said he waited for 48 hours to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in Chennai to apprise him about the looming drinking water crisis in Bengaluru but the meeting did not take place.

In the midst of the ongoing Cauvery water sharing issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Siroya said he went to Chennai on a goodwill mission with no politics.

Though he could not meet Stalin, he said his meetings with other DMK leaders were ‘extremely positive’.

In a statement, Siroya said he wanted to apprise the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister about the looming drinking water crisis in Bengaluru and the drought situation in Karnataka, and urge him to consider the issue as a humanitarian crisis and not a regional conflict.

“I went to Chennai and stayed for two days trying to meet CM Stalin. My visit was a goodwill mission with no politics and to make a fervent plea to Tamil Nadu CM to see the Cauvery issue on humanitarian grounds and not as a regional conflict. Unfortunately, despite my wait for 48 hours, meeting with MK Stalin could not take place,” Siroya said.

“However, my interactions with senior DMK MPs and Tamil Nadu leaders were extremely positive and they were receptive to the suggestions I made and appeared positive that discussions between Karnataka and TN government would provide a solution,” he added.

The MP said he was hopeful that an amicable solution to the crisis can be found if the chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu meet and hold discussions.

He reiterated that in the interest of Karnataka’s farmers and the drinking water needs of Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar should make efforts to reach out to Stalin and hold discussions to find a solution.

The two southern states are once again at loggerheads over the Cauvery water-sharing issue following the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s directives to release water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu at a time when several taluks in the state have been declared drought hit.