Thackeray calls Karnataka 'snake' on water-sharing pact

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday alluded to Karnataka as a "snake" after expressing shock at the Maharashtra government's decision to share water with people in scarcity-hit districts in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.

Thackeray also slammed the Congress-led government in Maharashtra, saying it has "betrayed" the state by its "shocking" decision on the water-sharing issue. "It seems that Maharashtra government has taken a contract to feed a snake. In Karnataka, immense atrocities are being heaped on Marathi-speaking people, but our government has forgotten those atrocities and decided to share water with that state," Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.

"Not a drop of water should be given to Karnataka which has always been unjust to the Marathi-speaking populace there," he said. Despite a long-drawn dispute over Belgaum issue, Maharashtra and Karnataka recently agreed to share water for people in the dry districts of both the states.

Both the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra and BJP government in Karnataka have agreed to do so keeping politics aside over the border issue. The Maharashtra government has agreed to release water from Dudhganga and Warna rivers to the border districts of Karnataka till the monsoon.

In return, Karnataka would release Almati backwater to help overcome prevailing water scarcity in the Jat taluka of Sangli district in western Maharashtra.

These decisions were taken at the meeting between the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and a delegation of Karnataka ministers comprising agriculture minister Umesh Katti and industries minister Murugesh Nirani.