PM urged not to give in to Jaya

NEW DELHI, July 20: In a move to pre-empt the Centre from acting on Tamil Nadu's demand for notifying the scheme to implement the interim...

NEW DELHI, July 20: In a move to pre-empt the Centre from acting on Tamil Nadu’s demand for notifying the scheme to implement the interim award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, an all-party MPs’ delegation from Karnataka met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and urged him not to ignore their opposition to the scheme.

The meeting comes in the wake of yesterday’s threat by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), an ally of the BJP-led coalition, that “disastrous consequences” would follow if the Centre failed to notify the scheme before July 21 when the issue comes before the Supreme Court (SC) for hearing.

The 30-member delegation led by senior JD leader and former Union Minister S R Bommai hoped the Prime Minister would not bow to the pressure of Jayalalitha and consider Karnataka’s demand for an amicable and negotiated settlement to the dispute. In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, they said “The solution to the problem does not lie in the creation of a mechanism or a regulatoryauthority equipped with statutory powers.”

On whether the Centre would succumb to the pressure from its Tamil Nadu allies, Bommai hoped the Government would be aware that there were 16 MPs belonging to Lok Shakti and the BJP from Karnataka. Talking to reporters after meeting the Prime Minister, Bommai said Vajpayee had assured the delegation that he would look into the demands of both States.