Cong govt in Karnataka seeks PM's intervention to resolve Cauvery water row with Tamil Nadu
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said the state is in a "catch 22 situation", following the Cauvery Water Management Authority's (CWMA) direction to release water to Tamil Nadu, and sought the Centre's intervention to resolve the issue.
Also, Water Resources Minister Shivakumar urged the opposition BJP, its leaders and Members of Parliament to prevail upon the Prime Minister to bail out Karnataka, while noting that he will be travelling to Delhi to meet MPs and the Union Ministers during the ongoing Parliament session.
He also defended the state's decision to release water to Tamil Nadu, citing advice of the legal team in view of the case coming up in the Supreme Court for hearing later this week, where non-compliance of CWMA orders may be viewed seriously.
The CWMA on Monday asked Karnataka to continue releasing 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for another 15 days.
"We are in a catch 22 situation, we do not have water, but still have to respect, whatever be the decision of the authority. We are appealing before the Apex Court. I'm going to Delhi to meet the MPs, we will also take a delegation to the central (Jal Shakti) Minister, we have also requested the PM to intervene and bail us out," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "If there is water, we don't mind (releasing water to TN). there has been no inflow, we are finding it very difficult. I think the central government has to help us out. BJP leadership (from the state) has to join us to save Karnataka."
CWMA's directions come after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) last week recommended that Karnataka release 5,000 cusecs of water every day for the next 15 days to the neighbouring state.
Meanwhile, there are reports of water being released from Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) Dam, despite farmer's protesting against it, in Mandya and other areas in Cauvery basin region.
Asked about former CM Basavaraj Bommai's suggestion not to release water to Tamil Nadu and asking the state government to prepare for a legal battle, Shivakumar said, "we will consider this suggestion seriously, but his suggestions are aimed at putting us in a fix politically, in the court. We will fight (legally) there is no other word on this."
The Deputy CM sought to know what they (BJP) did on the issue when in power in the state. "Didn't they release water overnight?" he asked.
Hitting back, Bommai said every step of the Congress government has put the farmers and common people of the state in a spot, in order to rescue itself.
"He (Shivakumar) said if we don't release water SC may say this or that, this is how lawyers advise, even during our time, but we had filed the review petition in the court, got changes done."
Wondering what was there to argue after releasing water to Tamil Nadu, the BJP leader said what does the Court have to do, when the government is obeying the CWMA order. They may defer the hearing to another day to pass another order after 15 days.
To cover up their 'failures,' the Deputy CM and the government are suggesting to go to the PM seeking intervention, he said. Unless the state's legal team and experts speak about availability of water in Tamil Nadu's dams, this situation will continue.
Pointing to the case is coming up before the Supreme Court on Thursday, Shivakumar said, "we are not interested in releasing water at any cost, but the Court case should also be kept in mind."
"I'm going to Delhi, requesting all MPs to exert pressure on the central government for intervention. We will put all our efforts. You (Bommai) say not to release water, but if court questions us on complying with the order (of authority) and asks us to comply, what options are left with me or Bommai?" he asked.
"In the interest of the state, everyone should cooperate.... We will have to apprise the top court about our situation, we will certainly fight legally," he said, asking Bommai to ensure that the PM intervenes in the issue, keeping politics aside.
Noting that JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda, in the Parliament, rightly suggested an out-of-court settlement based on his seniority and experience, Shivakumar said Bommai being a former CM and Water Resources Minister should be speaking on similar lines, with his experience.
"We are going by the legal team appointed by them (BJP government) ....Use your influence in Delhi and protect the interest of the state," he added.
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Trump administration says its war in Iran has been 'terminated' before 60-day deadline
Washington (AP): The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.
The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.
A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb 28 have terminated.” The official said the US military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.
While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the US Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran's oil tankers from getting out to sea.
Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president's military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorisation or cease fighting. The law also allows an administration to extend that deadline by 30 days.
Democrats have pushed the administration for formal approval of the Iran war, and the 60-day mark would likely have been a turning point for a swath of Republican lawmakers who backed temporary action against Tehran but insisted on congressional input for something longer.
“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” said Sen Susan Collins, R-Maine, who voted Thursday in favour of a measure that would end military action in Iran since Congress hadn't given its approval. She added that “further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close."
Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the National Security Council during Trump's first term, said he has recommended to administration officials to simply transition to a new operation, which he suggested could be called “Epic Passage,” a sequel to Operation Epic Fury.
That new mission, he said, “would inherently be a mission of self-defence focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation.”
“That to me solves it all,” added Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Hegseth said it was the administration's “understanding” that the 60-day clock was on pause while the two countries were in a ceasefire.
Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program and an expert on war powers, said that interpretation would be a “sizeable extension of previous legal gamesmanship” related to the 1973 law.
“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she said.
Other presidents have argued that the military action they've taken was not intense enough or was too intermittent to qualify under the War Powers Resolution. But Trump's war in Iran would certainly not be such a case, Ebright said, adding that lawmakers need to push back against the administration on that kind of argument.
