Goa minister terms Kannadigas "harami"

Bengaluru/Panaji: Goa Water Resource Minister Vinod Palienkar termed Kannadigas as “HARAMI” while speaking to media persons Saturday.

Goa’s Water Resource Minister Vinod Palienkar on Saturday said,” Karnataka has already diverted Mahadayi river water from flowing to Goa. I went with a team of Water Resource department officials to the site and saw that the work.  The main regulator was on and the flow of water which comes to Goa was diverted towards Karnataka. I have spoken to the Chief Minister and have given him the whole report and showed him the photographs which shown everything clearly”.

After visiting the water division site in Kamkumbi region in North Karnataka, Palienkar blamed that neighbouring states were also playing petty politics. He was accompanied by police officials and when he was asked the reason behind the tight security he said “They (Kannadigas) are harami(illegitimate) people. They can do anything.”

He later clarified that the term was used at the heat of the moment and requested the media to not display the abusive word in any form.

“I told reporters in Karnataka that their government is doing a dirty thing, by violating court orders. Karnataka is trying to destroy Goa’s identity by diverting the Mahadayi river water. We will not let them succeed. We will soon stop all the ongoing construction works “he added.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s letter to BS Yeddyurappa last month to discuss river water sharing for drinking purposes on humanitarian grounds had triggered popular protests in both Goa and Karnataka. Now the verbal abuse made by Vinod Palienkar has offended the people in Karnataka and are uncompromising with the situation.