Panaji, May 7 (IANS): The Congress in Goa on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of belittling the judiciary and the Indian Constitution over the Mhadei inter-state water dispute issue.

A day earlier, Modi said at an election rally in Karnataka's Gadag region that the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah had only delayed resolving the contentious water-sharing issue by opting for a tribunal to adjudicate the dispute.

"The Congress calls Modi's statement foolish, as it belittles the Prime Minister's office. It is not befitting of a Prime Minister. He has belittled the judiciary and the Indian Constitution. There is a constitutional provision for a tribunal to resolve a dispute between two states," Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar told reporters here.

Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra were parties to the Mhadei inter-state water dispute in the tribunal over the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across the river. The tribunal is expected to deliver a verdict in a few months.

Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river, is considered as a lifeline in the northern parts of the coastal state. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra. The river course is 28.8 km in Karnataka, and over 50 km in Goa.