Members of the Dravidar Kazhagam, including party chief K Veeramani, were arrested here on Monday for trying to picket the office of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) demanding that the plant stop supplying power to Karnataka.
Addressing protestors who gathered at the Periyar statue near the NLC, Veeramani said, “Cauvery water is our right. But due to political reasons, Karnataka government is not releasing water to Tamil Nadu. Since Assembly elections in Karnataka are approaching, politicians there are creating unnecessary problems. Common people and farmers in Karnataka are not our enemies. We are only condemning the politicians who are opposing release of water to Tamil Nadu.” He added that area of agricultural lands was increasing in Karnataka in violation of the Cauvery agreement norms, while agricultural land was shrinking in Tamil Nadu due to the scarcity of water.
“As a result, farmers in the delta region of Tamil Nadu have lost their livelihood. If the situation continues, we will be facing food shortage in future,” he warned.
The leader also slammed the Karnataka unit of Congress.
“All India Congress has lost the credibility to include ‘India’ in its name as it is acting against the essence of nationalism by opposing the order of the Cauvery tribunal. When the entire Tamil Nadu is reeling under power shortage, why should we give electricity generated from NLC to Karnataka?” Veeramani asked.
The activists, led by Veeramani, then marched towards the NLC head office, shouting slogans against the Karnataka government.
They were arrested mid-way and taken to a marriage hall here. The party’s presidium chairman S Arivukkarasu and state general secretary Durai Chandrasekaran also took part in the protests.