A day ahead of taking oath as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka, H D Kumaraswamy visited Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam near Trichy to seek blessings of Lord Ranganathaswamy, Times of India has reported.

However, the Chief Minister-designate, who had hit back at Rajinikanth over his comments on the release of Cauvery water by Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, did not commit anything on the issue of water sharing between the two states.

He instead seemed stuck to the stand taken by the earlier Congress government, which had refused to release water to Tamil Nadu and claimed that the state does not have enough water for its own agricultural requirements.

"If there is water in Karnataka it is possible for us to give them water. I request Rajinikanth, please come and see the situation in our dams, what has happened to our farmers. After seeing that, if you (Rajinikanth) still want water, let's discuss," Kumaraswamy, who will be sworn-in later today, said.

"We are like brothers, our only problem is Cauvery water sharing. Karnataka farmers are also in distress as our reservoirs are empty,” he added.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had approved the Centre's draft Cauvery Management Scheme for distribution of water among four southern riparian states.

During his visit, Kumaraswamy also said that the Congress has promised to lend support to Janata Dal (Secular) for five years.

Also Read: Three Reasons Why Kumaraswamy As Karnataka CM Is Bad News For Farmers In Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery Delta