Mahadayi dispute: Siddaramaiah responds to PM's allegations

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegations over the Mahadayi river dispute, and said that the decision over the issue has to be taken by the Prime Minister, and not former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Siddaramaiah's riposte came a day after the Prime Minister in an election rally on the outskirts of Gadag claimed that Sonia Gandhi, during the Goa elections in 2007, had said that her party would not allow Mahadayi waters to be diverted to Karnataka.

Meanwhile, when the Karnataka chief was asked if Sonia really blocked the process, he answered by saying, "You don't understand the issue, so keep quiet".

The states of Karnataka and Goa are at loggerheads on the issue of sharing inter-state Mahadayi river water.

Over 400 protesting farmers from Karnataka had set off to meet with President Ram Nath Kovind on April 25, putting forth their demands regarding the Mahadayi River dispute in New Delhi, claiming that if they weren't met, they would ask his permission to kill themselves.

With the election to the 225-member Karnataka State Assembly edging closer, the state has become a battleground with public rallies being the primary form of warfare.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have extensively tried to undermine each other in a bid to woo the electorate of the state, as a win in this election is also likely to give an edge for next year's General Elections to the winning party.