Madikeri: Congress spokesperson and Supreme Court Advocate Brijesh Kalappa, who is representing Karnataka in the final hearing on the contentious Cauvery River dispute at the Supreme Court, said that the decision on the Cauvery water dispute is likely to come either in the end of this year or in January next year.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, he said that the dispute regarding the sharing of Cauvery water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been going on since several years. The Supreme Court has viewed the dispute very seriously and hence has set aside three days in a week for this contentious issue.

Karnataka and Kerala have already completed their part of the arguments before the SC. Tamil Nadu is now replying to the arguments. The hearing  will be completed in a month or two and since it takes time to write the judgement, the final decision will be out before the end of December or in January next year, he said.

Criticises Centre: Kalappa came down heavily on the Central Government for doing away with the supply of rations to the Defence Officers posted in peaceful places. He said that the practice of supplying rations to the army official, which was there for decades has now been stopped by the Centre. Instead, it has announced that it will give Rs 3,000 as allowance. This move is akin to the ‘Tuglaq Raj’, he criticised.

It is wrong on the part of the government to discriminate between the soldiers and the officers, which would lead to resentment. Besides, the amount that is given to them will be taxed and they would get just Rs 1,900, he said.

Though the government has justified this move claiming that it is to curb corruption, he said that the corruption cannot be removed through such half-hearted measures.

No value to human life?: The BJP Government claims that it has great love for the animals, but does it not care for human lives? More than 60 children have lost their lives due to lack of oxygen cylinders in a Government Hospital in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh and that too in the Chief Minister’s own constituency. Hence, the BJP should declare what its priorities are, he demanded.

Gujarat humiliation in State too: In spite of making all efforts in the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat to bag all the three seats, the BJP failed. Now, BJP National President Amit Shah has arrived in the State for a three-day visit to strategise for the forthcoming elections in the State. His machinations will not work here. Congress will retain power and Siddharamaiah will continue as the Chief Minister. BJP will be humiliated here again, predicted Kalappa.

Reacting to the rumours that elections will be held ahead of the completion of tenure of this government, Brijesh Kalappa made it clear that the elections will not be advanced in the State. They had already learnt their lessons from the experience of S.M. Krishna’s government during whose rule the elections had been advanced and he had to suffer defeat.