Karnataka water disputes with Tamil Nadu, Goa boil or simmer under surface

Dispute over distribution of water from the rivers flowing through Karnataka and its neighbours works up emotions to the same degree as a communal one might and sets off conflicts between communities

The Congress might hope that the Karnataka government’s decision to grant a “minority” status to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva-Lingayat castes will impact the BJP’s tactic to consolidate the state’s Hindus by dimming the caste fault lines.  The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) might persist in using issues like the advocacy of militant vegetarianism and “nationalism” to answer the caste challenge. 

Beneath the political potency that such factious subjects have, Karnataka is grappling with more serious state-related matters that impinge as much upon the Centre’s ability to adjudicate fairly and seek resolution.

One of the issues is a perennial one, involving the