Former PM Deve Gowda requests Centre for reservoir to address Karnataka's water crisis

JD(S) MP H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help resolve Karnataka’s water crisis by building a reservoir with a capacity of 30 thousand million cubic feet.

Participating in a discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, the former prime minister also requested Modi to include the state’s Kadugolla community in the list of Scheduled Tribes.

Deve Gowda said he had taken up the matter with Modi during their first interaction in the new Parliament building. He said the prime minister had assured him that it would be cleared.

In his address, the JD(S) supremo also flayed the Congress government in Karnataka, accusing it of spending money on “unproductive” guarantees for short-term gains.

He talked about an incident of an unemployed youth killing himself after he and his mother, returning home after he failed to land a job, were asked to get off a train for travelling without a ticket.

“This is how guarantee works in Karnataka. They (the Congress) are going to have a big rally in Jantar Mantar. They have invited all of us to join the rally. With this kind of expenditure we are going to make on so many so-called guarantees — unproductive, just short-term gains…. The prime minister’s guarantee is something different, I know that,” Deve Gowda said.

A protest has been called against alleged discrimination against Karnataka in the interim Budget presented in Parliament last week.

Congress member Syed Naseer Hussain interrupted the speech of Deve Gowda, saying the discussion is on the President’s address and not on Karnataka. However, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar did not allow him to intervene during Deve Gowda’s speech.

The former minister said the drinking water problem in Karnataka is a major issue.

With folded hands, Deve Gowda appealed to the MPs from neighbouring Tamil Nadu to allow the construction of a reservoir.

“I appeal to the Hon’ble prime minister to see that something is done to solve the drinking water problem of Karnataka. That is what I would like to pray for and appeal to all the members of this House. Drinking water is a major problem,” he said.

“Everything that has been done by the PM, I wholeheartedly support. He has done magnanimous work,” he said, praying for the prime minister’s long life so he “lives for 100 years and serves his nation.” Earlier, Trinamool Congress member Dola Sen accused the government of selling profit-making public sector undertakings (PSUs) and asked if it embodied the spirit of “atmanirbharta” (self-reliance).

She also raised issues such as joblessness, plight of women in Manipur, and lower pension for government employees under the new pension scheme.

Sen claimed that Centre owed West Bengal over Rs 1 lakh crore under various welfare schemes.