New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on February 5 appealed to Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu to help find a lasting solution to the sharing of Cauvery waters
"through mutual understanding and spirit of accommodation" and in overall national
interests.
"Cauvery joins these two neighbouring states. Therefore, the issue of sharing its
waters need not divide them," he said at a function at which he declared 2003 as a
"Year of Freshwater".
Vajpayee, who heads the Cauvery River Authority (CRA), said at present the Centre was
trying to amicably resolve the problem of sharing of Cauvery waters.
"Tamil Nadu's demand is reasonable. But at the same time Karnataka's demand is also
not unreasonable," he said apparently referring to conflicting positions of the two
states and the drought condition there.
Vajpayee's remarks assumes significance as they came almost a week ahead of the
crucial meeting of the CRA on February 10 to resolve the vexed issue of distress
sharing of waters on which both the states are at loggerheads.
Recalling his political career spread over half a century, Vajpayee said he had never
thought that one day he would have to solve a water problem, sending peals of
laughter.
The Prime Minister also used the occasion to make a veiled reference to the SYL
(Sutlej-Yamuna Link) canal row between Punjab and Haryana by pointing to Haryana
Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala sitting in the front row and saying that he could
understand Chautala's "pain".
PTI
