PANAJI
The ongoing two-decade-long saga over the Mhadei inter-state river dispute saw another political bend emerge in its course on Wednesday.
Karnataka Member of Legislative Council and All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer for Goa Prakash Rathod while revisiting the conflict, has now sought a political resolution to the issue, which is already pending before the Supreme Court and the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal.
"As far as the Mhadei issue is concerned, first and foremost there is a BJP government at the centre, Karnataka and Goa. If the PM wants, a solution can be found within two minutes. But he does not have the will to do it. They only want to make Goa and Karnataka fight," Rathod told reporters here.
The Congress official is in Goa as part of the visit of senior AICC leader P Chidambaram who has been appointed as the party's senior election observer for the 2022 polls.
"The case is currently being fought in the Tribunal and the Supreme Court. I want that a political decision should be made by making the Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka governments sit together. The Modi government at the Centre has failed to redress this issue," Rathod further said.
The Congress official also said that both Karnataka and Goa had a rightful claim over the river's waters.
"Now there will be elections, they will raise this issue. It will also persist after the polls. They (BJP) are unable to make a decision. People from Karnataka and Goa are both suffering. We want drinking water, while Goa says that they are tapping water which is flowing into the sea," Rathod said.
He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in, call all heads of state governments to the table and resolve the issue.
"We have no issues with people in Goa wanting to use the water for drinking or agriculture. Goa should do what is rightfully theirs. If we (Karnataka) need drinking water, we should share it together. If we aren't using the water properly, it is flowing in the sea anyway. Let PM call all governments and resolve the issue," Rathod said.
