BENGALURU: Even as the main opposition BJP extended its support to Tuesday’s Bengaluru Bandh in protest against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the ruling Congress is trying to reason with the protesters that the bandh will not resolve the issue.
The protest is against the directions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), asking Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water till September 27.
Senior BJP leader CT Ravi said BJP workers will take part in the bandh as Congress sacrificed the interests of the people of the state. “Congress is trying to appease DMK, which is the ruling party in Tamil Nadu and is also part of the I.N.D.I.A opposition bloc. Can’t they use I.N.D.I.A bloc for Karnataka bachao, instead of Modi hatao? Can’t they brief the neighbouring state about the situation in Bengaluru, where a sizable Tamil-speaking population stays,” he asked.
He attacked Water Resources Minister and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, saying the latter launched the Mekedatu Yatra before the polls seeking the construction of a balancing reservoir, but has now quietly released water to Tamil Nadu.
Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said, “The bandh will not solve our problems. The directed us to release water when we don’t have water. Our team of lawyers effectively argued with the CWMA and Supreme Court. But we could not predict which way the legal system would go.”
He said, “I have already requested the organisations not to observe the bandh and appeal again. Protests can be held in the interest of the state. But do not damage public properties and bother people. The police have taken necessary steps to tackle the situation.”
Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar, under the Karnataka Jala Rakshana Samithi -- a conglomeration of various organisations, said they will observe the Bengaluru Bandh in a big way. On DK Shivakumar saying that the bandh will damage Brand Bengaluru, Shanthakumar said, “How can that be when organisations are protesting to safeguard the interest of the state and city?”
Shivanand Gundanur, an IT employee, said, “The city has over 3,500 IT companies and they need half of the 15 tmcft of water allocated to the IT capital. We are organising people from around 350 companies to take part in the bandh.”