Bengaluru:
The controversial comment made by Goa's irrigation minister, Vinod Palekar, over the sharing of Mahadayi waters with Karnataka has drawn widespread condemnationfrom political leaders in the state. He used an insulting term for Kannadigas - which saw the youth Congress in Bengaluru out on the streets in protest.
"The statement that the irrigation Minister has given is very cheap. He has spoken in a very cheap way about the Kannadigas. On behalf of all the 6 crore Kannadigas we want to tell him that whatever the issues is confront it or fight it legally," Youth Congress member, Tribhuvan, said, adding that "This is not the way. Goa CM does a drama, he writes a letter to Yeddyurappa. Yeddyurappa is not the CM of Karnataka. Our Siddaramaiah is the CM of Karnataka. Whatever it is he is supposed to write a letter to the CM of Karnataka of the Irrigation Minister of Karnataka."
Threatening to disrupt the Goa Assembly, the protesters said, "these days BJP leaders have lost morality, they don't know how to speak. They don't have any human values. We are protesting against this. If this goes on we don't mind barging into Goa Assembly."
BJP Karnataka state president and the party's chief ministerial candidate, B S Yeddyurappa, had contacted Goa Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar on the issue - and Mr Parrikar had replied to him.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also written to Mr Parrikar, saying he should have instead responded to a letter he, as chief minister, had written to him.
There were protests by farmers group outside the BJP office in Bengaluru for days, saying Yeddyurappa had promised to solve the issue and had failed to deliver on his promise. The BJP had claimed those protests were backed by the Congress.
Not only the opposition, Mr Palekar's comment has offended the BJP too.
Karnataka BJP spokesperson, S Prakash, said, "Goa Minister has crossed all limits. It is a highly irresponsible statement by him. He has no business to abuse Kannadigas in such a low language. He should apologise. The dispute is between two states and it should be treated that way. Abusing the entire state is unwarranted and he is deliberately creating a controversy and disturbing the harmony between two states."
"As a responsible minister, when he has to articulate an issue he has to be more careful and I hope Manohar Parrikar will make sure he apologises," he added.