Karnataka CM Yediyurappa directs officials to prepare Mekedatu project action plan
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has directed officials to prepare the action plan for the Mekedatu project at the earliest, which is vital for the state, Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Wednesday.
This weekend Yediyurappa will hold a meeting with legal experts and technical experts on preparing the action plan for the project, Bommai told reporters.
"There is only a miscellaneous application pending in the Supreme Court with regard to the Mekedatu scheme.
The Chief Minister is going to convene a meeting this weekend. We will discuss with legal experts about the necessary approvals required and how to proceed further," he said.
Emphasising that the project is important for the state, Bommai said it will play a key role in Cauvery water management in future.
This will be a parallel dam to supply water during a water crisis.
The Mekedatu project has become a bone of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, who often flag the issue of Cauvery water sharing whenever there is shortage in rainfall in the catchment areas of the river, which originates in Kodagu district in Karnataka and courses through Tamil Nadu.
Recently, Yediyurappa wrote to his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin, urging him not to oppose the project as it will benefit both states.
In response, Stalin requested Yediyurappa not to pursue the Mekedatu project, saying that it would "impound and divert" the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub-basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagar Dam, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub- basins, besides other small streams.
To a question on when the monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature would be held, Bommai said it had not yet been decided, but he would discuss it with Yediyurappa.
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AAP accuses Chadha of indulging in 'soft PR', dodging key issues in Parliament
New Delhi (PTI): The AAP on Friday hit back at party MP Raghav Chadha, accusing him of shying away from raising issues against the Centre in Parliament and instead engaging in "soft PR".
Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Chadha failed to toe the party's line on several matters in Parliament and did not join opposition walkouts on key issues.
"We all are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, the Centre doesn't care about soft PR or talking about samosas at airport canteens when bigger issues are at stake," Bharadwaj said in a video posted on X.
"Whenever the Opposition staged a walkout in Parliament, you (Chadha) did not participate. You did not raise issues concerning Punjab, from where you are elected, and you hid in a foreign country when former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested," he added.
AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda also criticised Chadha, questioning whether someone who "fears" Prime Minister Narendra Modi can fight for the country.
"In West Bengal, the right to vote is being snatched away. When a proposal against the CEC came up in the House, you (Chadha) refused to sign it," Dhanda said on X.
"In Parliament, we get limited time to speak, and it can be used either to fight for the nation or discuss trivial matters like cheaper samosas at airport canteens," Dhanda said, adding that Chadha has been hesitant to speak on "real issues" for the last few years.
The remarks came after Chadha earlier in the day said he was "silenced, not defeated", a day after being removed as the AAP's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha.
