BANGALORE: An all-party meeting here on Wednesday, two days after the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal gave its order, could not arrive at a decision on Karnataka's course of action, as the Government received the award's full text only an hour before the meet began. A postponement of the meeting was sought by leaders to familiarise themselves with the verdict's finer details.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the State Government will move the Tribunal, which has given the riparian States 90 days to seek clarifications.

The next all-party meeting is likely to be held after a week, though the Government has said the order's full text will be provided to all top leaders in a day.

Besides Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, other State and Central Ministers who attended the meeting were: Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Home Minister, M.P. Prakash, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting M.H. Ambareesh and Union Minister of State for Planning, M.V. Rajasekharan.

Others present were: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan; Leaders of the Opposition in the Assembly and Council Dharam Singh and H.K. Patil; the former Minister and chief of the Mandya Raitha Hitharakshana Samiti, G.Made Gowda; Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha president and MLA Vatal Nagaraj; and Raitha Sangha president K.S.Puttanaiah.

All Cauvery basin legislators were special invitees.

Mr. Kumaraswamy has so far not reacted officially to the verdict, though he has expressed dissatisfaction with the order.

He has been saying the Government would abide by the decision of an all-party meeting.

He thanked the people of Karnataka, particularly those in the Cauvery basin districts, for their cooperation in maintaining law and order.

Protest demonstrations

Wednesday saw lawyers, Congress legislators and several Kannada organisations holding protest demonstrations in Bangalore.

The former Minister, H.N. Nanje Gowda, and 30 Karunadu Sene activists were arrested for barging into the passenger lounge of the Bangalore airport.

Protests were also held in other parts of the State.

Some protesters stopped the Mysore-Chennai Shatabdi Express in Mandya for about 30 minutes and later at Maddur.

The Government has postponed the three-day "Vishwa Kannada Sammelan" (world Kannada meet), scheduled in Belgaum from February 23.

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