Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of colluding with the Goa government to block the implementation of the Mahadayi project — a lifeline for North Karnataka.
Taking to social media, Siddaramaiah said, “The Goa CM’s remark on the Mahadayi project is an insult to the people of Karnataka. Why hasn’t the Union Government officially communicated any concerns? Is this how federalism works under BJP — backdoor sabotage, silence, and betrayal?”
He asserted that the Mahadayi river is not a luxury, but essential for meeting the drinking water needs of over 40 lakh people in districts such as Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, and Bagalkot. He also referred to the 2018 tribunal verdict which allocated 13.42 TMC of water to Karnataka, saying the Centre and Goa’s BJP government are unjustly blocking its implementation.
“For decades, our people have waited for justice,” he added, while criticising leaders from the state units of BJP and JD(S) for not standing up for Karnataka’s rights.
Siddaramaiah further pledged to pursue the issue “legally, politically and morally” to ensure the state receives its rightful share of water.
Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reiterated his state’s strong opposition to the project, calling the Mahadayi river a lifeline for Goa and insisting the state is actively defending its interests in the Supreme Court, with the central government, and before the Mahadayi Tribunal.
The river, which originates in Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, has been at the centre of a long-running inter-state dispute as it flows into Goa before draining into the Arabian Sea.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Karnataka Minister HK Patil said that Goa CM’s claim about Union Minister Bhupender Yadav allegedly assuring Goa that the Centre would not allow Karnataka to proceed with the project was “shocking and against the people of Karnataka.”
The Kalasa-Banduri project, which proposes to divert 7.56 TMC of Mahadayi water to the Malaprabha basin, remains stalled amid Goa’s objections — continuing a decades-long legal and political battle.
