Karnataka should have say in Cauvery water release: CM
Bengaluru, June 19: Karnataka should have a say implementing the decisions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), especially on releasing water when it is low in its reservoirs across the river basin, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday.
"Karnataka should have a say on releasing the Cauvery water, especially on occasions when water is less in our dams and full in the dams of the neighbouring states in the river basin," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.
Noting that the state's farmers would face difficulties if the Authority directed the state to release the river water once in 10 days in a month, the Chief Minister said it would be impossible to implement this if the state's farmers were directed to grow a particular crop in which they may not be interested.
"But if the Authority decides that our farmers should grow a particular crop which may not be in their interest, it will be impractical to implement such a direction. This is one of the issues I raised and objected to in my meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday," Kumaraswamy said.
At his maiden press conference after he assumed office on May 23, the Chief Minister said there were two or three technical issues on setting up the Authority which had to be sorted out before it starts functioning.
"I requested (Union Water Resources Minister) Nitin Gadkari to change the clauses and he had responded positively," Kumaraswamy said.
The Chief Minister also said he would send the names of the state's two nominees on the Authority and the Regulation Committee only after the technical issues were addressed.
"Karnataka, however, will abide by the Supreme Court order on the sharing of the Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry," he reiterated.
The Chief Minister on Monday urged Modi against operating the Authority and its Regulation Committee till the issues related to the cropping pattern were addressed.
"I request you to direct the Ministry of Water Resources not to operate the CWMA till issues related to changing the cropping pattern in Karnataka or Tamil Nadu are resolved," Kumaraswamy had said in a letter to Modi.
Noting that changes in the agricultural system could not happen overnight, the letter said farmers would take a long time to realise the value of water and to switch over to modern farming practices.
"It is impractical to force a particular cropping pattern on farmers who have a method of operating over the centuries. Attempt to impose restrictions on farmers on the type of crop to be grown or their agricultural practices will result in protests by farmers, leading to law and order problem," the letter added.
As directed by the Supreme Court on May 18, the Centre on June 1 notified the CWMA for implementing the Tribunal Award on sharing of the river water between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
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Election Commission has become a puppet of govt: Cong MP Ajay Maken
New Delhi (PTI): Congress Rajya Sabha member Ajay Maken on Thursday alleged that the Election Commission has "become a puppet of the government" and questioned how democracy can survive in the absence of a level playing field, transparency and credibility of the electoral process.
Initiating a discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, Maken said that while India proudly claims to be the mother of democracy, the three fundamental conditions for a fair election -- level playing field, transparency, and credibility -- have been systematically undermined.
Accusing the Election Commission (EC) of refusing to provide machine-readable electoral rolls, hiding IP addresses and destroying evidence within 45 days, Maken said, "Today, the Election Commission has become a puppet of the government".
The EC's job is to win 'trust', but today its job has become to create 'suspicion', he added, citing examples of how voter turnout figures increased in Haryana assembly elections on the day of result announcement from the figures put out two days earlier.
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He said the commission remained silent when asked about the origin of extra votes and assembly and booth-wise data.
Also, he accused the EC of not providing to the CID -- which was investigating the matter of fake application forms in the Aland assembly constituency of Karnataka -- the IP address and port number of the computers from which the forms were filed.
"If the umpire wears the jersey of a team, what will the other team do? If the umpire itself fixes the match, what will the players do?" he asked.
Commenting on the absence of a level-playing field in the electoral process, Maken pointed out the growing disparity in the finances between the BJP and Congress from 2004 to 2024.
He accused the government of using various tactics to deprive the opposition parties of funds.
In the last 20 years, since 2004, the BJP's bank balance has increased from Rs 87.96 crore to Rs 10,107.2 crore, while that of Congress increased from Rs 38.48 crore to Rs 133.97 crore, Maken pointed out.
He accused the government of unleashing the ED and IT departments on Congress to deprive it of funds just ahead of elections, while also using the agencies to prevent businessmen and big industrialists from donating to the party.
"I have spoken to businessmen, big industrialists. They said that during the time of the Congress government, they used to contribute (to political parties) in a 60:40 ratio. At present, let alone 90:10, even at a 95:5 ratio, we (businesses) can't give it to you because the moment we do it, ED and IT will come after us, and we are not allowed to do anything," Maken claimed.
How can democracy survive in this situation? he wondered.
When the ruling party has 75 times more money than the Opposition, how can there possibly be a 'level playing field', Makan said, adding that all the money that went to the BJP was "all thanks to electoral bonds".
Responding to the allegations, BJP member Sudhanshu Trivedi (BJP) accused the Congress of creating a ruckus instead of availing the avenues available to them to seek redressal of their grievances.
Taking the example of a cricket match, he said, when a team feels that a batsman was out, but the umpire has not declared so, they can seek a review. However, instead of going to the umpire for review, Congress has been holding press conferences, in anticipation that the third umpire would give the decision on his own.
Trivedi wanted to know why the Congress has not asked for CCTV footage of the Bihar elections even after 45 days of polling.
On 'vote chori' allegations in Bihar, he said Congress' vote share has been reducing over the years, and what was left there to be stolen.
Hitting back at the allegation of lack of transparency, Trivedi said in the election for Congress president, in which Mallikarjun Kharge was elected, 22 Congress leaders sought voter lists, but they were not provided as per media reports.
Those who do not share the voter list for their own party election are lecturing others on transparency, he noted.
