Mahadayi sensitive issue between 3 states: Dinesh Gundu Rao

Panaji/Bengaluru: Goa Congress in charge and the party’s senior leader from Karnataka Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday called the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute a sensitive issue which has to be solved by the Supreme Court and the inter-state tribunal set up for it.

Goa and Karnataka are at loggerheads over the sharing of Mahadayi water with the former approaching the apex court claiming the neighbouring state was going ahead with construction on the river without requisite permission.

“This is a sensitive and important issue concerning three states (Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra). All three have gone to the Inter State Water Dispute Tribunal. We have also gone to the Supreme Court. This is a matter to be decided in SC and the tribunal,” he said.

Rao said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have mediated and solved the issue but “he has not done so as yet”.

Rao, asked about alliances for the 2022 Assembly Goa polls, said the Congress had emerged as the largest party in the 2017 state polls and would prefer to go it alone.

On being asked if the GFP and MGP could be potential allies, now that the two are no longer part of the BJP-led government in Goa, Rao said the party cannot align with those “who had compromised with the BJP for gains”.