BJP Rajya Sabha member Lahar Singh Siroya.
Credit: DH Photo
Rajya Sabha member and senior BJP leader Lahar Singh Siroya, on Thursday, appealed to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to settle the Cauvery river water dispute amicably without indulging in politics.
He urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to make efforts to hold talks with TN Chief Minister M K Stalin for a solution.
Siroya told reporters here that he returned from Chennai ‘empty-handed’ after waiting for nearly two days, just to get an appointment with the TN CM.
“I wanted to apprise the TN CM about the looming drinking water crisis in Bengaluru city, drought situation in the state, besides appealing to him to consider the issue as a humanitarian crisis and not regional conflict,” he said.
Describing his two-day visit to Chennai as a ‘goodwill mission’ sans politics, Siroya said his interactions with senior DMK MPs and Tamil Nadu leaders were extremely positive and they were receptive to the suggestions he made.
They also appeared positive about discussions between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments providing a solution.
“When we speak of water rights, we have to be more considerate, keeping migratory trends across states and realities in mind. The best solution for this distress situation is for both states, like brothers, to understand each other’s needs and crises and share whatever limited water is available equitably,” he said.