Mangaluru: Food and Civil Supplies Minister U.T. Khader on Wednesday alleged that activists who are opposed to the Yettinahole project have political motives.

Speaking to presspersons after inaugurating an exhibition of government programmes at Kadri Park, Mr. Khader said the meeting on the project convened by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on December 26 went off peacefully and the activists concurred with the presentation made by experts. He claimed that no opposing voices were raised during the meeting. “They only raised issues after coming out. There is a political motive to this,” he said.

Disputing this claim, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, said he and other activists had raised some fundamental questions, including on the yield of 24 tmcft of water and on the claim that there would be no harm to the Western Ghats. “Mr. Siddaramiah avoided our questions and abruptly ended the meeting,” he said.

Mr. Kateel said that at the meeting, differences within the Congress too were exposed, with senior party leader Vijaykumar Shetty allegedly being openly rebuked by Forest Minister B. Ramanath Rai.

Activist Niranjan Rai said it was unfortunate that Ministers such as Mr. Rai and Mr. Khader had failed to understand the concerns raised by activists. Another activist, Dinesh Holla, said Mr. Siddaramaiah and Irrigation Minister M.B. Patil did not hear them out when they pointed out the “grave aberrations” in the presentation.