BJP
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (right to left)IANS

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Bengaluru, Karnataka's capital, on Sunday, to address a BJP rally ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah has urged him to help resolve the Mahadayi river dispute with Goa.

Also, several Kannada outfits called to observe 'black day' on Sunday in view of Modi's visit. 

He wrote on Twitter: "@narendramodi, I am glad you are making time to visit the country's startup & innovation hub, Namma Bengaluru today.."

"On behalf of my people, I urge you to find the time for Karnataka's drinking water needs & help us resolve the #Mahadayi dispute #NammaKarnatakaFirst," Siddaramaiah wrote as he urged to the PM.

Yeddyurappa mocks CM's no.1 claim

Reacting to Siddaramaih's tweet, BJP Karnataka president BS Yeddyurappa (BSY) lashed out at the ruling government as he mocked Siddaramaiah's tweet and said "Karnataka indeed has scripted several firsts" pointing out corruption and farmer suicides.

Sidda CM
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Union Statistics and Programme Implementation Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and Karnataka Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha during a meeting on Mahadayi water project at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Jan 27, 2018.IANS

BSY said, "Karnataka indeed has scripted several firsts - No.1 Corrupt State, 3,500+ farmer suicides, a collapse of law & order, mysterious deaths of officers, transfers of honest officials, crumbling infra of Bengaluru. #KarnatakaTrustsModi."

It has to be noted that Yeddyurappa had earlier faced graft allegations and spent over three weeks in jail before getting a bail.

The Mahadayi row

The dispute between Karnataka and Goa over the sharing of Mahadayi river water has been going for four decades. Although the river originates in Karnataka, a vast part of it flows in Goa.

Karnataka had earlier proposed the construction of barrages across Kalasa and Banduri —the tributaries of Mahadayi — in order to divert 7.56 tmcft water to Malaprabha river in the state to fulfil the drinking water needs of twin cities Hubballi-Dharwad, and districts of Belagavi and Gadag.

The Goa government, on the other hand, said that if they let Karnataka extract 7.56 tmcft water from the river, the coastal state will be deprived of drinking and irrigation water apart from the tourism sector getting affected, which is one of the major sources of income for the state.

Of late, Karnataka has witnessed a number of bandhs over Mahadayi river water. Various pro-Kannada organisations along with the farmer community had earlier observed a bandh on January 25.

As of now, the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal is looking into the matter.