Ex-Karnataka CM Bommai demands immediate halt to release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu
Bengaluru (PTI): Former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday demanded that the state government immediately stop the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, file an appeal in the Supreme Court and fight a legal battle.
The BJP leader accused the Congress government of failing to protect the interests of farmers and the drinking water needs of people in Karnataka.
"The government has been faltering on the Cauvery issue since the beginning. Already about 15 TMC water, by way of releasing 10 thousand cusecs (cubic feet per second) water everyday, has been released as per the order of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) directive but yet no legal action has been taken against it," he alleged.
Bommai wondered as to what was the point of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds Water Resources portfolio, discussing with legal experts now when the government has already started releasing 5,000 cusecs of water daily on the instructions of CWMA.
An appeal against the previous order should have already been filed with the Supreme Court, which has not been done yet, he said.
"I demand that the release of water should be immediately stopped and an appeal to the Supreme Court should be filed and a legal fight should be initiated by making strong convictions. The Congress government has failed to protect the drinking water requirements of Karnataka state and the interest of the farmers," Bommai said.
Earlier, CWMA had ordered Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs of water daily for 15 days. Karnataka later appealed to the authority against its order saying that there were inadequate rains in the watershed regions of Cauvery.
The CWMA ordered Karnataka to release water to ensure that 5,000 cusecs reaches Biligundlu in Tamil Nadu daily till September 12.
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Jaishankar holds talks with Russia's Lavrov; trade, geopolitics top agenda
New Delhi (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held "productive" talks on Wednesday to advance bilateral cooperation in energy and trade amid shifting geopolitical tensions.
Jaishankar met Lavrov, shortly after the Russian foreign minister landed in New Delhi to attend a two-day conclave of the BRICS member states beginning Thursday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and South Africa's Minister for International Relations Ozzy Lamola are among those who already arrived in the national capital for the BRICS foreign ministerial meeting.
Jaishankar and Lavrov are learnt to have deliberated on the West Asia crisis as well as the Ukraine conflict.
In a social media post, the external affairs minister described his talks with his Russian counterpart as "productive exchange of views".
"Our conversation touched upon several aspects of the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, including trade and investment, energy and connectivity, science and technology, as well as facilitating mobility of skills and talent," he said.
"Other global and multilateral issues of mutual interest were also discussed," he said.
It is not immediately known if India's procurement of Russian crude oil figured in the talks.
In his televised opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar said India and Russia have a shared interest in strengthening multipolarity and could benefit through greater "de-risking" .
"The last few years have seen a steady and sustained growth in our bilateral partnership. Its economic and energy dimensions have become pronounced. Our political cooperation is even more valuable in an uncertain and volatile global environment," Jaishankar said.
"We have expanded our collaboration in science and technology. The mobility of talents and skills has acquired greater salience and our interest in ensuring better connectivity is deeper," he said.
"The complicated international situation also merits an open exchange of views, especially between two trusted partners," he said.
The external affairs minister said India and Russia have a shared interest in strengthening multipolarity.
Jaishankar also held separate bilateral talks with Brazilian Foreign Minister Vieira South Africa's Ozzy Lamola.
The external affairs minister also met Maldivian Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam.
"Underlined our Neighbourhood First policy and reviewed our bilateral cooperation. Reiterated India's commitment to Maldives' progress and development," he said on X.
India, as the chair of the BRICS, is hosting the conclave of the foreign ministers ahead of the annual summit of the grouping in September.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
It has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
The BRICS meeting will be chaired by Jaishankar.
