BJP mulling legal action against TN on Hogenakkal project

Bangalore, Mar 31 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party is contemplating to move the Supreme Court against Tamil Nadu on the Hogenakkal drinking water project issue, BJP Karnataka Spokesman Sureshkumar said today.

Talking to newspersons here, he said a final decision would be taken on the issue on April five, when BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley would arrive here with legal experts to discuss the matter.

Taking strong exception to the alleged statement of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi that the BJP was raising the issue in view of the coming elections in Karnataka, Mr Sureshkumar said such a statement was not expected from a seasoned politician like Mr Karunanidhi.

''Mr Karunanidhi should have maintained his status as a veteran politician and Chief Minister. Just to score a point, such allegation should not have been made,'' he added.

Mr Sureshkumar alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not taking action against the Tamil Nadu Government for taking up the project at the controversial site, that too when a case was pending in the court, just because the DMK was a coalition partner of the UPA Government at the Centre.

The BJP Spokesman alleged that the Congress-led UPA Government had failed to curtail the price rise of essential commodities.

During the previous NDA regime, the inflation rate had not crossed four per cent, while now it had touched 6.68 per cent.

Mr Sureshkumar alleged that the UPA Government had been meting out step motherly treatment to Karnataka right from the beginning.

Citing an example, he said that of the total Rs 53,800 crore allocated for highways development in the country, Tamil Nadu was allotted Rs 10,228 crore and Karnataka only Rs 2,081 crore.

Referring to the recent 'Discover India' tour of Karnataka by AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, he said ''it was only a show business and nothing else.'' Besides, the Congress had indulged in politicisation of the country's premier institution, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) by holding an youth meeting by Mr Gandhi on the institute premises.

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