MYSURU: On calls for a bandh on August 13 and protests against the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to release 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said here on Saturday that peaceful demonstrations are a democratic right, but cautioned against turning them into publicity exercises.
“The government will not prevent anyone from protesting. But demonstrations should be held in the interest of people and must not result in damage to public property or inconvenience to citizens. If law and order is disturbed, the government and courts will take appropriate action. I appeal to organisations to reconsider their protest plans,” he said.
Shivakumar said he, along with Union Minister Prahlad Joshi and other state ministers, had briefed the Centre on Karnataka’s water situation. The discussions were also held with senior leaders, including former chief ministers Jagadish Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai and Siddaramaiah.
He said when Karnataka appealed against the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) order before CWMA, the latter had access to real-time data on reservoir storage and inflows, but rejected Karnataka’s request for relief. Shivakumar pointed out that the current release order is significantly lower than what had been mandated during previous drought years. He reiterated that the state government remains committed to protecting farmers’ interests while also complying with the Supreme Court’s directions.
“Previous chief ministers, including Bangarappa, SM Krishna, Siddaramaiah, HD Deve Gowda and even BJP governments, faced similar situations and decided based on the circumstances. I will not say their decisions were wrong or mine are right. However, Karnataka secured a major victory through the Supreme Court’s judgment,” he said.
He pointed to the Centre’s statement in Parliament supporting Karnataka’s proposal to construct the Mekedatu balancing reservoir, saying legal provisions for the project should be considered.
Shivakumar accused BJP leaders in Karnataka of staging protests for political reasons, while claiming political parties in Tamil Nadu are doing the same for their own survival.
