Goa unit BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Monday said they have guts to tell even the Karnataka media that the state government will not compromise on the Mhadei river issue.
Tanavade said this when he was asked about Goa BJP leaders campaigning for Karnataka’s assembly election.
“BJP is a national party, we have a system. During the assembly election in Goa, our ‘karyakartas’ from Karnataka came here. Even we go to Maharashtra and help our party to organise (elections). We go to neighbouring states,” he said.
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“When we take these responsibilities, it does not mean that we will compromise on Mhadei,” he said.
Tanavade said that in no circumstances would the state government compromise on the Mhadei issue.
“The Goa government will not compromise anything on Mhadei, whatever legal battle is to be fought, we will fight it,” Tanavade said.
“Even when we go there, if the Karnataka media questions us (Goa BJP leaders) on the Mhadei issue, we will make the statement that the government will not compromise on this issue, we have the guts (to make a statement),” he also said.
In the second week of March, Pramod Sawant, while campaigning for the assembly election in Karnataka for his party, had spoken a few lines in Kannada language. He had said ‘Svalpa Svalpa Kannada Mathadene’ (I can speak little in Kannada).
Subsequent to his speech in Kannada, opposition parties in Goa had slammed Sawant for campaigning in Karnataka, stating the neighbouring state had allegedly diverted water from the Mhadei river and he is still supporting them by campaigning.
In January, during a rally in Belagavi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said: “Today, I am here to tell you that the BJP at the Centre has resolved the long dispute between Goa and Karnataka over Mhadei and allowed the diversion of Mhadei to Karnataka to satisfy the thirst of farmers of many districts.”
Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the Kalasa-Banduri dam project across the water of Mhadei river at a central tribunal.
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