Karnataka will implement Mekedatu project, asserts CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru: Karnataka will implement the Mekedatu project across river Cauvery, and people of the state should have no doubts about it, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa asserted on Tuesday.
"Things are favourable for us in this regard, there is no question of halting it for any reasons. We will implement the Mekedatu project within the legal framework and complete it, no one can stop it," Yediyurappa said in response to a question.
Addressing reporters here, he said, "I had requested the Chief Minister (of Tamil Nadu) for doing it (implementing the project) in a friendly manner, as it will benefit both states, but for some reasons he did not respond properly, but still we will implement the Mekedatu project, let people of the state have no doubt about it."
State's Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai too on Monday had said that Karnataka will continue its legal battle with regards to implementation of Mekedatu project, as Yediyurappa's letter to his Tamil Nadu counterpart urging him not to object to it, did not elicit a positive response.
Yediyurappa had on Saturday written to his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin urging him not to oppose the Mekedatu project in the right spirit and offered to hold a bilateral meeting to address any issues.
In response, Stalin on Sunday urged Yediyurappa not to pursue the Mekedatu project, as he rejected Karnataka's stand that implementation of the project would not affect the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers.
Karnataka has maintained that the project will benefit both states as the surplus water stored can be managed between the two during the distress year, and its implementation will in no way affect the interests of the farming communities of Tamil Nadu.
While Tamil Nadu is of the view that the project would "impound and divert" the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub- basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagara, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub-basins besides other small streams.
Mekedatu is a multipurpose (drinking and power) project, which involves building a balancing reservoir, near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district.
The project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighboring areas (4.75 TMC) and also can generate 400 MW power, and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 9,000 crore.
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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.
