Bengaluru, July 23: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has launched a scathing attack on the Centre over its reported refusal to grant environmental clearance to the long-pending Mahadayi project, terming it a “betrayal” of the people of Karnataka.
In a strongly worded press release on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah condemned the central government’s stand, calling it a grave injustice to the state. He asserted that the Karnataka government, with the support of all Kannadigas, would launch a united protest against this decision.
Referring to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s statement in the Assembly that Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had personally assured him the Mahadayi project would not be cleared, Siddaramaiah said the Centre’s move was a “fresh assault on Karnataka’s interests.”
Despite the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal awarding 13.42 TMC feet of water to Karnataka in 2018, Siddaramaiah said the Centre’s “deliberate delays and biased attitude” had crippled implementation.
The Kalasa-Banduri project, designed to supply 40 TMC of drinking water to regions like Belagavi, Hubballi, Dharwad, Gadag, and Bagalkot, is ready for rollout, Siddaramaiah said. However, he accused the BJP-led Centre of colluding with the Goa BJP government to block Karnataka’s rightful claim.
Slamming Karnataka BJP leaders and MPs from BJP and JD(S), Siddaramaiah said they had “utterly failed” to defend the state’s interests in Parliament. “Their silence proves their loyalty to their party is stronger than their duty to the people of Karnataka,” he said.
The Chief Minister further accused the Modi government of systematically punishing Karnataka for rejecting the BJP in the 2023 Assembly elections, by slashing tax devolution, cutting centrally sponsored scheme funds, and now, by denying environmental approval to the Mahadayi project.
“The Centre’s discriminatory and anti-Karnataka stance will not be tolerated,” Siddaramaiah warned, vowing to mobilize all Kannadigas for a mass movement against this injustice.
