Double engine fraud by govt in Mahadayi project: Brijesh Kalappa

Bengaluru: The Aam Aadmi Party leader and advocate for Karnataka in the Mahadayi River Dispute Tribunal, Brijesh Kalappa said that the central and state BJP governments are deceiving the people of Karnataka regarding the implementation of the Kalasa Banduri project, and the Central Water Commission (CWC) has given permission only for the purpose of elections.

Addressing a press conference at the Bangalore Press Club, Brijesh Kalappa said, "Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has tweeted an undated letter (No. T-28027/2/2022-PA(S)DTE) on December 29, 2022, which appears to be a CWC permission letter related to the Mahadayi drinking water project. It is not right to pretend that the BJP's double engine government has done justice to Karnataka in the Mahadayi dispute. Earlier, the central government gave in-principle approval to the project on April 30, 2002, even after considering concerns expressed by Goa. Even then, the same BJP-led NDA government was in power. Just five months later, on September 19, 2002, the BJP government suspended the in-principle agreement. We should not forget this betrayal by BJP to Karnataka," said Brijesh Kalappa.

"Since Goa government filed a case in Supreme Court in 2006, Central Government on 22.10.2010, under the chairmanship of Supreme Court Judge J M Panchal, constituted Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT). After listening to the arguments of the governments of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, the MWDT gave its verdict on August 14, 2018. If the BJP's argument that the plan has now been approved by the CWC by the capability of the double-engine government, then the CWC should have approved the project on July 26, 2019, when the coalition government was brought down, and BS Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister. What was the need to wait until the elections were near?" Brijesh Kalappa asked.

A Mahadayi activist and Aam Aadmi Party leader, Vikas Soppin said, "BJP need not brag about this. Instead, genuine efforts should be put to provide drinking water at the earliest to Hubli-Dharwad, Naragunda, Navalagunda, Badami, Rona, Gadag and around 100 villages that can benefit from this project. The Aam Aadmi Party is always committed to the interests of the state in terms of language, culture, border and water rights," he said.

Protection of the corrupt, crackdown on anti-corruption: "In April 2022, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader and contractor Santosh Patil committed suicide by writing the name of KS Eshwarappa, who was then a minister. Then on December 31, Prasad, a contractor of the Public Works Department, committed suicide in Tumkur. On January 1, 2023, businessman Prasad committed suicide by naming BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali. The police did not arrest the ministers and MLAs in these cases. But the police arrested 84-year-old Kempanna, the president of the contractors' association, who exposed the government's commission scam. Brijesh Kalappa said that the corrupt have protection in this government, anti-corruption have no protection.