Water brings Cong, Akalis together

At least two sets of states got ready to fight for their share of water, as Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh yesterday categorically ruled out release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and Shiromani Akali Dal staged a peaceful demonstration in Chandigarh urging for a new resolution to be passed in the budget session of Parliament, on sharing on river waters.

The Supreme Court had awarded Haryana its share of the Sutlaj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal recently, a move that could represent victory for the OP Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in the elections to the Haryana Assembly due later this year.

"Punjab, which is a riparian state, is being unjustly deprived of its right to use the Ravi-Beas waters by their transfer to the Yamuna-basin areas of Haryana, a non-riparian state," SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal, who led the sit-in demonstration, told reporters.

Only agreements on riparian principles were acceptable to Akalis, he said

Meanwhile in Chennai, Union Minister of state for Chemicals and Fertilisers Rehman Khan said Karnataka was not against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and that he was sure Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would do justice.

"As per interim order (of Cauvery tribunal) 3.4 tmc of water has been released during the first week of June against the 2.03 tmc (recommended by the tribunal) for the week", Khan, on a visit to Chennai said.

"The matter is with the Prime Minister. We want farmers of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to flourish", he said.

Asked whether the issue had been politicised, he said he would not like to comment on the views of each political party. "Since we are neighbours we should discuss and sort out the issue. Our feelings are for friendly relations with our neighbours", he said.

However, this filial feeling was missing in Bangalore where an all party meeting has been convened by the Chief Minister tomorrow to discuss the Cauvery issue in the wake of Tamil Nadu's demand for water release, official sources said.

An all party delegation from Tamil Nadu had last week called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention to prevail upon Karnataka to release water.

Karnataka has so far maintained that it was not in a position now to spare water to Tamil Nadu and that there was no need "at this juncture" to call a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to discuss distress sharing, as demanded by the neighbouring state.

Dharam Singh, under political compulsions of his own, caused by prolonged drought in Karnataka said government would not compromise on the interests of the state and its farmers. "(The question of) releasing even a drop of water is not there (before us)", Singh told the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Singh said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had faxed a letter informing Karnataka of her government's decision to send an "official team" to Bangalore on June 15-16 to seek water release.

"There is no commitment on our part. There is also no need for us to yield to the pressure from the Centre," Singh told the House as opposition BJP leader BS Yediyurappa and other members sought to know the government's position on the water release issue.