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Vasundhara puts ball in Centre's court

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, DEC. 7. The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, today said that a solution to the water problems of farmers in north-west Rajasthan vested with the United Progressive Alliance Government. "The Centre only can do something. A solution to the crisis is with the UPA Government,'' she said.

Talking to The Hindu on the eve of entering her second year as Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ms.Raje said the agitation in the Bikaner division of the State was politically motivated. "They are playing politics with the lives of people. Perhaps they want to continue with this till the coming elections to the panchayats,'' she said.

"I don't have anything in my hand when it comes to the waters of the inter-state river projects. It is for the Centre to act,'' Ms.Raje said a day after the second phase of the farmers' agitation reached a boil leaving four towns in the districts of Sriganganagar and Bikaner under curfew. Ms.Raje had met the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, last week in Delhi along with MPs from Rajasthan to demand his intervention on the issue of control of Bhakra Beas Management Board and the full share of Rajasthan's water. "Rajasthan does not have a director in the BBMB which controls the flow of the water when the other two States, Punjab and Haryana, have,'' Ms.Raje said. "The farmers are asking for an assurance on 5.23 cusecs of water per 1000 acres. How can I give it when I don't have the power to make a decision,'' she asked. "Already Rajasthan is getting much less than its stipulated share of 8.60 million acre feet of water decided in the inter- State water treaty. On record they are giving us 8 MAF water but in reality it is less than 8 MAF. The Punjab farmers are illegally siphoning off a part of it in their area. Once it reaches our territory about 1000 cusecs are again stolen by influential farmers here,'' Ms.Raje noted.

The present agitation in Sriganganagar was unjustifiable as it had no specific demand which the State Government could meet. "This is an agitation for nothing. If we agree on the demands now they will surely come up with a new set of demands,'' she said referring to the Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangarsh Samiti, which is spearheading the agitation. "In one year the State Government has done maximum for the farmers of the canal area. We have waived the `abhiyana'(water tax), made appointments to the posts of patwaris which the previous Congress Government had abolished and had policies favouring the colonization areas,'' Ms.Raje said.

The Chief Minister also refuted the charge of not holding talks with the farmers in the past. "We carried out negotiations with them over the past two months. However it appeared as if they were not interested in a solution. Even while the talks were on they resorted to stone- pelting and violence,'' Ms.Raje added.

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