Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Monday slammed Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for having written to his Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin on the Mekedatu issue.
“It is wrong on his part to have written a letter to Mr. Stalin. Karnataka has to work according to the directions of the court and not seek Tamil Nadu’s permission for the project. If permission is sought through a letter, it will not be granted,” he told presspersons on Monday. “No one will be affected if we build the reservoir. During my regime, we did not write such letters seeking permission.” Regarding the delay in release of the special grants recommended by 15th Finance Commission, the former Chief Minister said, “If I were to be the Chief Minister now, I would have sat on a dharna in front of the office of [Union Finance Minister] Nirmal Sitharaman seeking ₹5,495 crore. Mr. Yediyurappa is not asking for our dues since he is scared of losing his post.”
Meanwhile, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters that the government would fight to protect the interests of farmers. “We are confident of winning the legal battle [on Mekedatu]. Based on the Supreme Court’s directions, we will seek other clearances,” he said.
