SOLIDARITY: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy greets N. Dharam Singh at the all- party meeting on the Cauvery issue in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Bangalore: The Karnataka Government, apart from the legal recourse that it plans to take to secure justice in the Cauvery water sharing issue, is also believed to be gearing up for negotiations with Tamil Nadu should the latter State also express an inclination for the same.

Sources close to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu here on Saturday that the coalition Government in Karnataka was keen on a fair settlement of the Cauvery issue. With Tamil Nadu also expressing similar sentiments, Mr. Kumaraswamy is of the view that negotiations should possibly ensure a breakthrough to the vexed issue. The two States have been battling it out since 1974 which touched a new peak after the tribunal announced an interim award in 1991.

It was mentioned that should there be a favourable response from Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister would spell out further details in the matter. "Mr. Kumaraswamy is keen that there should be an end to the animosity between the two States largely arising out of sharing the Cauvery waters. In the view of the Chief Minister, it would be ideal to sit across the table and sort out the issue rather than waste time in the courts," the sources said.

If need be, Mr. Kumaraswamy is ready to go over to Chennai and talk to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and other political leaders, including the former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. To ensure a political solution, Mr. Kumaraswamy is also keen to take an all- party delegation from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu comprising leaders of all political leaders. Even the representatives of the farmers would be taken for the discussion, the sources said.

It was said that if the State received a proper response from Tamil Nadu it would also be ready to speak to Puducherry and Kerala, the other two riparian States. With all the four riparian States expressing their resentment over the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and with all of them seeking to file a review petition before the CWDT, the coalition Government feels a bilateral negotiation with a policy of "give and take" should yield results.

All-party meet

Meanwhile, political leaders of the State, cutting across party affiliations, on Saturday called upon the coalition Government to take to legal recourse to enable the State to obtain justice in the light of what has been termed as gross injustice meted out to the State in the final award of the tribunal.

Compared to what was witnessed over the past three weeks when political parties here were ranged against one another over the Cauvery issue, it was an exhibition of solidarity and show of strength at the all-party meeting called by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to finalise a consensus on the steps that need to be taken to ensure justice for Karnataka.

The political leaders unanimously passed two resolutions — one condemning and rejecting the final award of the tribunal and the other thanking the people of the State in peacefully agitating over the injustice meted out to the State. In particular, the meeting appreciated the stance of the Kannadigas in refraining from any attack on the linguistic minorities.

Sources in the Government told The Hindu that a high- level committee of legal and irrigation experts would ponder over the various legal options available to the State and suggest to the Government the steps that could be taken.

It is said that there are three options open to the Government — to file a clarificatory petition before the tribunal wherein the State could pick on the "gaps" in the order and then seek remedy. The second option is to file a suit in the Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution which pertains to disputes concerning States and on which only the Supreme Court has jurisdiction. Yet another option is to file a special leave petition before the Supreme Court and seek a remedy to the injustice done to the State.

The Chief Minister said Karnataka was not in a hurry to file a petition. "We should first weigh the pros and cons. The tribunal has given 90 days time to the riparian States to seek clarifications, if any. We will take the right steps without any delay."

Among those who attended the meeting included Union Minister of State for Planning M.V. Rajasekharan, Minister for Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs M.P. Prakash, Minister for Water Resources K.S. Eshwarappa, senior leaders of the Congress Dharam Singh, Mallikarjuna Kharge, H.K. Patil and Siddaramaiah and Janata Dal (United) leaders B. Somashekar.

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