BJP asserts Siddharamaih playing politics over Cauvery dispute

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said accused Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaih of playing politics in the name of the Cauvery dispute after the latter charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi of showing an indifferent attitude to the plea of the state government to convene a meeting of chief ministers to discuss the sharing of Cauvery waters.

"This is the problem of two states and the chief minister of two states should decide. Siddharamaih is doing politics, where he wants to drag the Prime Minister. Prime Minister cannot be involved in the play which Siddharamaih is playing," Karnataka BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan told ANI.

Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Soundararajan said, "Repeatedly we are conveying that, when two states are sharing the water of river, no states will be deceived. Each state will get its national share. That is the aim of our Prime minister because of that he is acting neutrally."

Earlier, Siddharamaih alleged that there is an indifferent attitude to the plea of the state government to convene a meeting of chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on an urgent basis over the Cauvery water issue.

Last week, Siddaramaiah urged Prime Minister Modi to intervene in the matter by organising a meeting of the chief ministers of all southern states.

In his letter, Siddaramaiah also pointed out the ongoing unrest in Karnataka in the wake of the state releasing 15,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day in accordance with the order of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court's direction was based on Tamil Nadu's plea, seeking a direction to Karnataka to release 50.52 TMCFT of Cauvery water to save 40,000 acres of samba crops this season. That order has since been amended to release 12000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day till September 20.