AAP raises Voice against River Mahadayi Issue
“It’s a tussle between the state and centre-thirsty death for people of North Karnataka, where poor farmers are caught in the political fight between CM Siddaramaiah and PM Narendra Modi”-Aam Aadmi Party
Mangaluru/Udupi: Addressing the media persons during press meets held at Mangalore Press Club, and Udupi Press Club simultaneously on 28 July 2016, Aam Aadmi Party clarified the issue pertaining to River Mahadevi water. In Mangaluru, Shanthala Damale the State Co-convenor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), along with members of the DK_AAP namely Rohan Siri, Bhoja Poojari and Ian Lara addressed the meet. In Udupi, Ramadas Acharya, former treasurer of AAP along with other AAP members addressed the media. The following details were revealed during both the press meets:
Rising to birth in Bheemgadh, Belagavi, and reaching the Arabian Sea, River Mahadayi has been made to fail to quench the thirst of the people of North Karnataka due to the shamelessness of its politicians, irresponsibility of the CM and the apathy of the PM towards the state. This is a massive fraud perpetrated collectively by the politicians at the state and centre. The desperate voice of the people has not reached the ears of its 28 MPs and 224 MLAs. The representatives must now tell us if they consider the people as alive or dead”.
In September 2015, a delegation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had visited the belt of both Malaprabha and Mahadavi rivers, met the leaders of the agitation, collected information from the experts, studied the ground realities of canal affected areas and had suggested the following to the CM-
– Form a High Power commission comprising of experts on Meteorological, Geology, Gauge, Weather, Environment, Technical, Engineering, Irrigation, Agriculture and Farmer Leaders etc. and present the report of this committee in the argument to the court.
-In the argument, the state must effectively neutralise the plans of Goa by quantifying and explaining the damage that will be caused to the environment of the Western Ghats and how much water can be provided for drinking water to the thousands of villages in Karnataka.
-the tribunal should be made aware of the availability of water and other ground realities in the area where canals are proposed through the report of expert committee.
However even after AAP delegation gave it’s suggestion to CM Siddaramaiah and the people of North Karnataka have been waging a relentless struggle for water since 2002, he has failed to understand the seriousness of the matter, making the state argue without facts and figures, thereby failing to impress upon the Tribunal of it’ drinking water requirement. AAP feels that this has proved that the CM is as good as dead for the people of the state.
AAP had expressed its full support to the Mahadayi fight after undertaking a march from Thontadarya Math in Gadag to Dharwad and met the villagers, listening to the woes of the farmers on the way. Our Dharwad District leaders are in constant touch with the agitators and are continuing their active participation. AAP will never hesitate to stand behind the farmers in the struggle. An entire Assembly Session was ruined after the Govt. failed to take proper action in a suicide case, due to its stubbornness and the opposition using this as a political opportunity let the session go in vain.
In the bargain, there was no discussion on the much-needed plan of providing water to 5.4 lakh hectares of land from the Mahadayi river. The 17 MPs from ruling BJP failed to even request upon the PM to intervene in the fight, while the 11 Congress MPs including the opposition Leader and an MP himself from North Karnataka region Mallikarjuna Kharge failed to initiate any discussion on this issue in the Parliament, which reflects the irresponsibility of our MP’s. People of the state are losing their trust and realising that such elected representatives are of no use to them. The anti-Karnataka stand of Narendra Modi govt. on this issue and the outcome was very much evident when the Centre’s Solicitor General Atmaram Nadkarni was appointed to argue for Goa. Even the PMs Effort to please the people in election-bound Goa and his playing political drama by remaining a mute spectator in the name of the order of the Tribunal is clearly visible.
As mentioned in the Mahadayi tribunal report the state has failed in presenting its argument. Hence the Government should submit it’s appeal in the Supreme Court. It should understand the pulse of the people and form an expert committee, as suggested by AAP, and argue on the basis of hard facts and figures. AAP demands that the Irrigation Minister M B Patil resign immediately owning moral responsibility for this failure, and fulfil the aspirations of the people by realising that the MP’s are servants of the people. AAP warns that if the politics in this fight continues between State and Centre, thus effectively preventing taking of corrective steps in safeguarding the interests of the state, AAP will escalate the protest in every corner of the state”.
by Alfie D’Souza and Michael Rodrigues-Team Mangalorean