Siddaramaiah lashes out at PM for denying appointment

"In a federal structure, the Prime Minister should not behave like this. He should treat all the States equally and listen to the problems. He is Prime Minister of the country and not belonging to any one particular party or State," Siddaramaiah told newsmen here. 

The Chief Minister had led an all-party delegation to Delhi and had sought an appointment with the Prime Minister to discuss Mahadayi drinking water sharing issue and appeal for early release

of funds for drought relief works.  He had held discussion with MPs from Karnataka and was to meet Modi along with Opposition leaders in both the Houses.

Since the Mahadayi Tribunal, after the Supreme Court rejected the Karnataka Government's plea for diversion of 7.2 tmc of water to supply of drinking water to three parched districts of North

Karnataka, had suggested all the three States involved including Goa and Maharashtra besides Karnataka to get the issue solved through dialogue.

Maharashtra government had fixed a date for the meeting but Goa Chief Minister had expressed his inability to attend and thus the dialogue did not take place and the issue remained unsolved.

Siddaramaiah had expressed his willingness to host the meeting but Chief Ministers of the other two states have not given any date nor replied to the invitation.

Karnataka which has estimated about Rs 12,500 crore loss due to monsoon failure, has sought about Rs 4,700 crore relief from the Centre. Two study teams visited the affected villages and submitted the report to the Union government.

The State, which is reeling under severe drought condition for 175 taluks as drought hit.