Cauvery dispute: Will give TN its rightful share, says Priyank Kharge

Karnataka will follow the Supreme Court's directions on the Cauvery water dispute, Minister Priyank Kharge said, assuring Tamil Nadu of its rightful share. He also slammed the draft electoral rolls in the state, calling it an exclusionary exercise.

Karnataka to follow SC directions on Cauvery water: Priyank Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge maintained that the State will not deny "a single drop" of the amount of Cauvery River water which "rightfully" belongs to Tamil Nadu and will follow the Supreme Court's directions. Speaking to the media on Monday, Kharge stated, "Whatever is the Supreme Court's direction, everybody has to follow, whether it is Karnataka or whether it is Tamil Nadu. We have told very clearly that not a single drop will be denied to our neighbouring states. Whatever is rightfully ours, we keep. Whatever is rightfully theirs, we give."

Amid the dispute over Cauvery water-sharing, the Supreme Court on Monday asked Tamil Nadu to take up its grievance with the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) that Karnataka was not releasing the State's proportionate share. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, however, noted that Karnataka had already released water in compliance with the directions issued by the CWMA. However, Tamil Nadu's counsel disputed this, submitting that the CWMA had not directed Karnataka to release the proportionate quantity of water that the State was entitled to receive.

Kharge slams draft electoral rolls

Meanwhile, when asked about the draft electoral rolls released amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Karnataka, Priyank Kharge termed it an exclusionary exercise. He alleged that the SIR exercise was done to ensure a "stranglehold of the NDA in the Centre on the democratic processes of the country."

He said, "The SIR is an exclusive exercise, not an inclusive one. If you recollect, in Maharashtra, a former Navy Vice Admiral, in Bengal, an IAF officer, all of them had to prove their citizenship. People who have served in the army, people who have been in public offices, are being asked to show their documents; just imagine the plight of an ordinary Indian."

"The SIR is being facilitated by the government to ensure that they have a stranglehold on the democratic processes of the country. The delimitation commission bill is also the same. You have given the chief election commissioner judicial immunity, and he is not bothered to respond to the Government of Karnataka's queries; he is not responding to civil society's queries... This is how this country is being run; this is how the election commission is excluding people from their right to vote," he added.

Over 43 lakh voters to receive notices

The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Monday released the draft electoral rolls, with 1,07,96,339 electors under the absent, shifted, dead, duplicate and others (ASDDO) categories. Over 43 lakh voters are set to receive notices for verification before the final publication of the voter list on October 27. According to the CEO's office, the draft electoral roll includes a total of 4,46,35,975 electors.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)