Union minister accuses Karnataka of politicising Cauvery water sharing

NEW DELHI, 12 August — Union Heavy Industries and Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy launched a fresh attack on Karnataka’s handling of the Cauvery water row. He said the state’s legal team was deliberately distanced from vital information, leaving Karnataka ill‑prepared for the impending legal battle.

Kumaraswamy pointed to a series of incidents where senior advocates allegedly faced neglect. He mentioned that senior counsel Mohan Katarki was not offered a seat during a Karnataka MPs’ session chaired by Chief Minister DK Shivkumar, leading him to walk out.

The minister also highlighted that an all‑party meeting in the Krishna Office of Bengaluru gave scant attention to technical experts, undermining the credibility of any consensus.

According to CWMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, Karnataka should release 12,000 cusecs daily to Tamil Nadu for fifteen days. Tamil Nadu presented its case in May, whereas Karnataka was scheduled to begin releases only from June.

Kumaraswamy argued that the chief minister’s focus on cabinet expansion and personal visits to party stalwarts eclipsed urgent water‑management concerns, causing crop failures for Karnataka’s farmers.

He questioned why Karnataka has not yet prepared a distress‑sharing formula, despite the Supreme Court’s pending order, and urged the state to anticipate Tamil Nadu’s legal tactics before the situation worsens.