BENGALURU: The controversial remarks by Goa Water Resource Minister Vinod Palienkar on Kannadigas evoked strong reactions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other leaders in the state, on Sunday. It was also criticised strongly on social media, with the hashtag ‘#BJPInsultsKannadigas’ featuring among the top trends of the day.
Tweeting from his personal handle @siddaramaiah, the CM wrote: “The abusive words used against #Kannadigas by @BJP4India Irrigation Minister from Goa are reprehensible, to say the least. However, we hold no grudge against the people of Goa. We will continue to strive to secure drinking water from #Mahadayi for our people.”
Palienkar had used the expletive ‘haraami’ to describe Kannadigas while alleging that Karnataka was illegally diverting water from Mahadayi River. He had used the abusive term while speaking to reporters after visiting the Mahadayi water diversion project near Khanapur in Belagavi district.
Congress leaders from the state were quick in criticising the remarks, with Congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) terming it an attack on ‘Kannada Swabhimana’ (Kannada pride).
“Most shameful these remarks from @BJP4India Goa minister. @BSYBJP looks like your counterparts have no iota of respect for you too..calling Kannadigas with this derogatory word, they have insulted you too. #KannadaSwabhimana”, he tweeted, tagging BJP State president B S Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP).
JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy too took to Twitter to condemn the remarks. Tweeting in Kannada from his handle @hd_kumaraswamy, he said: “The statement made by Goa Irrigation Minister against Kannadigas is condemnable. It does not behove well for the minister in a responsible position to insult Kannadigas to please people in Goa.”
Meanwhile, state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa issued a statement on Sunday evening. In a release, he said that he condemned the remarks made by the Goa minister.
“When a harmonious relationship was being developed between the two states, such irresponsible statements that spoil the situation would not benefit anybody. Nobody has given him the authority to speak about Kannadigas,” he said, demanding an immediate apology from Palienkar.
Tweeting in Kannada, he wrote: Farmers are still suffering because Sonia Gandhi had said that not a drop of water would be released from Goa to Karnataka. In reality, Mahadayi (crisis) is the illegitimate child of Congress. @siddaramaiah government has no intention to give water to farmers.” The minister had visited the project site after demand for Mahadayi water sharing in North Karnataka regained momentum.
Goa Chief Secy says work violated SC order
Panaji: The Mahadayi dispute between Karnataka and Goa is escalating with Goa Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma writing to his Karnataka counterpart conveying objections against the ongoing work on Kalasa-Banduri canal at Kanakumbi.
Sharma has termed it as violation of the SC order. “Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma has written a letter to his Karnataka counterpart pointing out to the violations of the SC directives by resumption of the work on a canal at the Mahadayi tributary (at Kankumbi village),” Goa CM Manohar Parrikar said in Canacona.
Karnataka and Goa have been locked in a bitter battle on sharing of the river water, which originates in Belagavi in the southern state. The matter is pending before the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. “I dont have the exact contents of the letter with me right now. But we have told Karnataka that they are violating the directives of the apex court on the issue, and they should not do that,” he said. Parrikar said his government would bring the violation to the notice of the Supreme Court.