CRA: Karnataka hits back at Jaya

Karnataka today reacted with a sharp rebuttal to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s move of questioning the jurisdiction of th...

Karnataka today reacted with a sharp rebuttal to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s move of questioning the jurisdiction of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA).

‘‘A state unilaterally questioning the validity of the CRA is irrelevant and unconstitutional,’’ said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister D.B. Chandre Gowda. He was referring to Jayalalithaa’s letter to Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee in which she criticised Karnataka’s conduct and sought three days to study the state’s pleadings before attending any CRA meeting.

Speaking to mediapersons, Gowda said the CRA was constituted under the orders of the Supreme Court. He said the authority’s jurisdiction was decided following a consensus among all the four riparian states of South India, including Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, and Karnataka.

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In Chennai, the PMK asked the Tamil Nadu government to convene an all-party meeting to aquire the support of all political parties on the issue of a ‘‘minimum fixed agenda’’ in CRA meetings as suggested by the CM.

Party president S. Ramadoss, in a statement, said all parties in Karnataka were one on the issue, unlike in Tamil Nadu, where parties stood divided.

‘‘The Tamil Nadu government has a duty to garner the support of all political parties on the issue. Only with a united approach can we achieve what we want.’’