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Pramod Acharya is Editor, Prudent Media
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Karnataka has been incessantly trying for out of court settlement on the matter. They have petitioned Goa Government on numerous occasions through various organizations and stakeholders. They have even tried their best to keep Atmaram Nadkarni away from this case to derail Goa’s interest.
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We all know how Karnataka behaves when it comes to its water resources. They care a damn for the law, the judiciary and all principles of jurisprudence. They become law unto themselves. They agitate, block roads, burn vehicles, run riot and threaten to block supply chains of states dependent upon them for various goods and services. Such has been their behaviour all these years.
Goa is vehemently fighting its case in the interstate river disputes tribunal. We have strong arguments, material evidence and expert witnesses on our side. The pendulum is tilting in our favour. But does that mean anything if the abrasive state is fighting this legal battle for the sake of it? What happens if Goa wins this case in the tribunal and even in the Supreme Court? Will Karnataka quietly pack up and leave from Kankumbhi?
Experience reveals that none of this packing would happen and precisely because of this predictable scenario that the meeting of our Chief Minister with the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Goa has attained massive importance. Laxmikant Parsekar has consistently maintained that he would do nothing that would undermine Goa’s interest. But will this resolve be adequate when he enters the room with the CM of Maharashtra who inadvertently runs India’s commercial capital and CM of Karnataka who defiantly bullies a powerful state like Tamil Nadu?
When three Chief Ministers meet for a resolution of an inter-state dispute like Mhadei, what come into play are not the merits of the matter or the fair and unfair. It is the sheer clout and the influential lobbies that paddle for you in the corridors of the Lutyen’s Delhi. Let us practically analyse where we stand precisely in this aspect.
Karnataka elects 28 members of parliaments in the Lok Sabha. Their composition is completely in favour of the ruling BJP with 17 MPs. Congress 9 and Janata Dal (Secular) only 2. In Rajya Sabha too they elect 12 MPs. Here BJP has 4, Congress has 6, Janata Dal secular has 1 and one independent MP. And all of them, divided by various factors are united on one issue “ blocking of their water resources for their own state “ come what may.
Maharashtra is more precarious “ 48 Lok Sabha seats. BJP holds 23 MPs, Shivsena 18, NCP 4, Congress 2 and Swabhimani Paksh 1. In Rajya Sabha too Maharashtra elects 19 MPs. Currently, BJP and NCP has 5 MPs each in the Rajya Sabha with Congress having 4 and Shivsena 3. Rest of the two belong to RPI and independent respectively.
We are too tiny to take on this might. We have 2 Lok Sabha MPs, one Rajya Sabha MP and a defence minister elected from a constituency in UP constantly focusing on Goa with most of his attention. We are well equipped to swing some favours in our direction (like allowing additional solicitor general of India Atmaram Nadkarni to continue representing Goa in the tribunal) but are we tough enough to create a level playing field when Laxmikant Parsekar sits across the table with Devendra Fadnavis and Siddaramaia?
And remember, Goa has decided to enter into these deliberations based on a “suggestion” forwarded by the tribunal in “good faith”. As Atamaram Nadkarni told me during an interview, there has been no change in the status of the case. It is adjourned for the hearing on next date and irrespective of the talks the matter will proceed.
But Karnataka CM has seized this opportunity. He has extended an invitation to the Goa and Maharashtra CMs. Goa, from the position that “we won’t conduct any exercise outside the tribunal” has changed its stance to “we will talk but not at the cost of the state’s interest”. Maharashtra obviously will come on board. All this based on the “suggestion” of the tribunal which received an extension for a year just last month to take this dispute at a logical conclusion.
There is definitely more to this than what meets eye. Karnataka has been incessantly trying for out of court settlement on the matter. They have petitioned Goa Government on numerous occasions through various organizations and stakeholders. They have even tried their best to keep Atmaram Nadkarni away from this case to derail Goa’s interest. They have extended olive branch on one side and tried to deviously cut the tree holding the branch on the other. Following interim stay on their works at Kalsa-Bhandura, they have fiercely agitated and unabashedly threatened Goa. Our buses were stoned and we were warned of stopping milk and vegetable supplies; all this while pleading for out of tribunal settlement!
Politically, they are far more influential than Goa. They trump us in the number game hands down. They have brazenness to defy a Supreme Court order. Have we considered our worst case scenarios and prepared for it? We definitely need to commend this government for the efforts and seriousness rendered towards this issue. Previous governments had literally made it a cake walk for Karnataka. Now we need strategies that go far beyond tribunals and discussions. Optimistically, if talks fructify we can all shake hands and get back to our usual tasks. However, experience signals me that in spite of our generous gesture towards our mammoth neighbours, the business wouldn’t be usual once the meeting takes place. It is better to be a cautious realist than a spurious optimist. We obviously need plan B but it is better if we prepare for plan Z.
