All party meet to discuss Cauvery panel's directive to Karnataka to release water to TN today
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened an all-party meeting on Sunday to discuss issues related to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's (CWRC) directive to the State to release one tmcft of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu daily till this month-end.
After holding discussions with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the Water Resources Minister, Ministers from the Cauvery river basin area, and officials on Friday, the CM had said today's meeting would decide on the state's next course of action.
"Despite forecasts for normal rains this time, there is a deficit of 28 per cent in inflow so far. This was clearly stated by us in our stand before the CWRC. Also, we requested not to take any decision till the end of July, still CWRC has asked to release one tmcft of water every day from July 12," Siddaramaiah had said.
The meeting on Friday opined that the government should file an appeal against the CWRC directive before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
Union Ministers, Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Members from the State and MLAs from Cauvery river basin region have been invited to the meeting.
The government will decide its next move taking everyone into confidence, the CM had said.
According to Siddaramaiah, 5000 cusecs of water is being released to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu which is equal to the Kabini dam inflow.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
