Deve Gowda wants industry to chip in Cauvery battle

New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda today suggested the Industry to supplement the political efforts to secure justice for Karnataka in the Cauvery river water dispute.

His call came at a meeting of Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) which had organised a meeting of Members of Parliament from the state seeking the Industry to make a representation before Prime Minister listing out their grievances caused by the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).

''We, the MPs, will carry out our political battles as one entity, but this alone was not enough and the industry should lend their support for fighting the cause of the state,'' he added.

The MPs require support from the friends from the industry, particularly in the southern districts of Karnataka who will be affected by the adverse order. Only IT Industries did not require much water but all others also do, he added.

Acknowledging political problems on the Tamil Nadu side too, he said unlike Karnataka the state was a bi-polar state and one group was threatening to launch ''direct action''. ''We should understand the compulsions on all sides,'' he remarked.

Making his statement on the memorandum of FKCCI seeking united action on the part of Karnataka MPs and the Central Government, Union Minister of State for Planning M V Rajasekharan promised the FKCCI that the Ministers and MPs would live up to the expectations of people getting justice for Karnataka in various projects.

Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes in his remarks said the MPs from the state were united to ensure that the growth rate of Karnataka always overshot the national growth rate. He wanted an Indian Institute of Technology for the state and invited private participation in upgrading the identified ITIs announced by the Union Budget.

Former Union Minister Ananth Kumar said there was no political division among the MPs as far as development was concerned. He suggested FKCCI to organise such meetings twice a year.

UNI