With Karnataka started releasing 5,000 cusecs Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, protests erupted in southern part of Karnataka on Thursday. While various farmer bodies staged demonstrations in Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar against the release of water, the BJP accusing the three months old Congress government of doing nothing to protect the interests of Karnataka.
The opposition party also charged the government of not taking up legal battle properly against the DMK led Tamil Nadu government as the party there in power is a key ally in the newly formed INDIA bloc where Congress has a major stake. The Karnataka government on Wednesday started releasing 5,000 cusecs of water for Tamil Nadu following the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) August 28 directive to the Karnataka government.
Previously, the CWMA had ordered Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs of water everyday. After releasing it for a few days initially, Karnataka again approached the CWMA saying that there were no adequate rainfalls in the Cauvery basin.
Taking Karnataka’s point of view into consideration, the CWMA directed the Karnataka government to release water to realise 5,000 cusecs of water reaches Biligundlu just at the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. However, the Karnataka farmers, especially from those districts in and around Cauvery and Kabini river and Krishnaraja Sagar dam in Mysuru launched a vehement protest on Thursday.
Farmers in Mandya took out a march raising slogans against the Congress government, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the major and medium irrigation portfolio.
In Srirangapatna, farmers staged shirtless protest. Standing in the Cauvery river they held the water in their palm and raised slogans blaming the state government of taking anti-farmers stand.
Similar protests took place in Chamarajanagar district.
Reacting to the release of water, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa said wondered why Tamil Nadu was putting pressure on Karnataka to release more water when there was no crisis there.
“Today we have water crisis and the KRS dam is getting empty. In this situation, releasing water to Tamil Nadu is not possible. Tamil Nadu has sufficient water. I don’t know why they are putting pressure (on us). We will support the government’s stand,” Yediuyurappa said.
Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai demanded that the state government should immediately stop the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, file an appeal in the Supreme Court and fight a legal battle.
The BJP leader accused the Congress government of failing to protect the interests of farmers and the drinking water needs of people in Karnataka.
“The government has been faltering on the Cauvery issue since the beginning. Already about 15 TMC water, by way of releasing 10 thousand cusecs (cubic feet per second) water everyday, has been released as per the order of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) directive but yet no legal action has been taken against it,” he alleged.
Bommai wondered as to what was the point of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds Water Resources portfolio, discussing with legal experts now when the government has already started releasing 5,000 cusecs of water daily on the instructions of CWMA.
An appeal against the previous order should have already been filed with the Supreme Court, which has not been done yet, he said.
“I demand that the release of water should be immediately stopped and an appeal to the Supreme Court should be filed and a legal fight should be initiated by making strong convictions. The Congress government has failed to protect the drinking water requirements of Karnataka state and the interest of the farmers,” Bommai said.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar held a meeting with the legal team and Karnataka officials dealing with the Cauvery issue at Karnataka Bhavan-1 in New Delhi.
The DCM held the meeting in view of the case related to Cauvery water sharing dispute coming up before the Supreme Court on Friday, said sources close to him.