Cauvery dispute; welcome if Centre intervenes: Karna govt    

Bengaluru, Sep 10: Karnataka government today welcomed the reported statement of Union Minister Uma Bharti about intervening in the Cauvery river water dispute, if necessary, but demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiate the process to solve the long-pending issue.

"If she has given the gesture that she will intervene (to resolve the vexed Cauvery dispute), we welcome it. It (step) will be towards solving the problem," Karnataka Law Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters here.

His response was to a question about reports quoting Uma Bharti as saying that the Centre would intervene in the Cauvery matter if necessary.

Asked about Tamil Nadu not even looking at a compromise solution, he said "Let's suppose it is initiated by the Prime Minister. We are in the first stage, let the Prime Minister initiate that.... then let us see the response of Tamil Nadu." Jayachandra also appealed to the BJP MPs from the state to take up the issue with the Prime Minister.

To a question that the consistent demand for the Prime Minister's intervention was politicising the issue further, he recalled that the PM had earlier on one occasion intervened on Supreme Court advice. It has to be done now also to solve the vexed issue, which needs to be resolved through an out-of-court settlement, he said.

"When the Supreme Court advised the then Prime Minister to intervene, it happened then. Now to resolve this, these are all to be settled out of court," he said. "However, whether they are coming (intervening) or not again is the question.

Injustice has been done to the state from Britishers' period. It is a long-pending and almost 200 year old dispute," Jayachandra said. Asked about changing Fali Nariman as the state's counsel, he said he wouldn't like to react as the matter was coming up for final hearing on October 16 before the Court.

"I don't want to react to that because the matter is coming up for the final hearing on October 16. The Supreme Court has specifically said it will be listed on that day. So let us hope for the best," he said.

PTI