All parties barring CPI absent from Cauvery meet

BANGALORE: The all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister S.M. Krishna on Sunday to discuss the Cauvery imbroglio, turned out to be a non-event, with only the Communist Party of India (CPI) attending the meeting.
The entire opposition kept away from the meeting protesting against the CM''s attitude towards the opposition.
At the meeting, Krishna reportedly said he was "pained" at the opposition''s attitude."This is a problem related to the state. It is not an individual''s problem. My padayatra has become the reason for the opposition not to participate in such meetings. I will write to the party leaders to reconsider their decision on the boycott," he said.
Krishna pointed out that the problem of releasing water is nothing new to Karnataka. "We have been putting up with this problem for quite sometime now," he added.
KPCC president Allum Veerabhadrappa said they had told the CM that his primary interest should be to protect the standing crops in the Cauvery region and to store adequate drinking water for Karnataka. "After all this, if there is excess water, then he can take a decision."
CPI leader M Gopal is learnt to have said his party had urged the state government to demand convening of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) meeting and to refer the issue to a Constitutional bench.
Menawhile, intellectuals including G.K. Govinda Rao, K. Marulasiddappa and others have expressed support to the CM in a memorandum. They were invited by the CM to meet him on Sunday.
"Since we have already expressed what we wanted to say we do not want to interrupt his tight schedule. Hence we did not go," Marulasiddappa said.
Venue confusion: Meanwhile, there was confusion over the venue of the meeting itself. The meeting which was scheduled to be held in Vidhana Soudha was changed in the last moment to the CM''s official residence -Krishna.
Reason: The Special Protection Group (SPG) had literally taken over over Vidhana Soudha, in view of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visit. The President is scheduled to participate at a conference on "E-governance"to be held at the Banquet hall in Vidhana Soudha on Monday at 3 pm.