Alleging that the proposed padayatra of the Congress seeking early implementation of Mekedatu drinking water project was actually an attempt to garner votes by hoodwinking people, JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday remarked that he too would participate in padayatra if the Congress could guarantee him that it [padayatra] would help get Centre’s nod for the project.
He accused the Congress leaders of lying to the people of the State about Mekedatu project on a daily basis to gain political mileage and alleged that the party had done nothing to push for the project when it was in power for five years from 2013 to 18.
Questioning the commitment of the Congress to Mekedatu project, he alleged that the party was fighting for implementation of the project in Karnataka while it had maintained close political alliance with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu that had been opposing the project. He argued that the Congress should convince the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu to drop its opposition to Mekedatu project instead of hoodwinking people through padayatra.
Terming the statement of the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that it was during his regime that the DPR for the Mekedatu project had been prepared and submitted to the Centre, Mr. Kumaraswamy said actually it was the pre-feasibility report that had been submitted by the erstwhile Siddaramaiah Government. It was the government led by him (Mr. Kumaraswamy) that had actually prepared and submitted the DPR to the Centre, he claimed.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said unlike Mr. Siddaramaiah who did not pay much attention to Mekedatu, he had attended 11 meetings on Mekedatu in his 14-month tenure as Chief Minister.
