Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar on Friday alleged he has information that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre and in the state will try keeping him occupied by filing cases and charges against him.
The KPCC president’s remarks came in reaction to the weekend curfew imposed by the state government in view of the current COVID-19 situation. The curfew coincides with the Congress party’s January 9 plans to do padayatra demanding the implementation of the Mekedatu project.
Speaking to ANI, Shivakumar said, “Congress is fighting for the rights of the people. Water is the necessity of the Bengaluru people and implementation of the Mekedatu project is the most important agenda. Let them bring any curfew, we will walk and show what’s the power of Congress. If at all they tried to arrest us, me and Siddaramaiah, only two of us, will walk from Mekedatu to Bengaluru.”
Shivakumar further alleged that he can be targeted by any government at any time, but he has all capabilities to fight them back with proper documentation with the support of the “law of nature”.
“Present BJP government health minister Dr. K Sudhakar in Karnataka had clearly said that no one will be spared if COVID-19 broke out. But when MLCs felicitation program was held in the banket hall of Vidhana Soudha without following any COVID-19 guidelines indoor, why can’t we walk outdoor,” said Shivakumar.
Reacting to DK Shivakumar, Govind Karajaola, Karnataka Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources said that the Congress government showed its negligence and irresponsibility when they were in power for five years and now the party leaders are doing drama.
Mekedatu project implementation demand from the Congress can be used as the next election tool in which the party is mainly concentrating on Bengaluru assembly seats and Ramnagar districts as well, Karajaola said.
The Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum drinking water project, to be constructed across the Cauvery river basin, has been at the Centre of controversy between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai announced a protest fast against the decision of the Karnataka government to go ahead and build the Mekedatu dam.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, on July 12, 2021, said that the Centre will have to give clearance to the project as per law and there is no reason the state government will stop the project. (ANI)
