Some activists belonging to pro-Kannada outfits were on Monday taken into preventive custody here when they staged protests against the Supreme Court adjourning to October 12 the plea filed by Karnataka on the Cauvery water issue. The activists staged protests in front of the Income Tax office here, sources said.
Reacting to the development, Madegowda, president of a committee spearheading the protests, who is on a relay fast at Mandya, hotbed of the Cauvery stir, demanded resignation of Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and urged him to join the on-going agitation. He also demanded that the government stop release of water to Tamil Nadu with immediate effect.
Gowda reiterated his demand for mass resignation of Union Minsiters representing Karnataka, MLAs and MPs to protest the “injustice” meted out to the state.
Meanwhile, farmers under the aegis of the committee- Cauvery Hitharakshana Samiti- continued to protest against the water release. Superintendent of Police, Koushalendra Kumar said 20,000 police personnel besides Karnataka State Reserve Police, district Armed Reserve and Rapid Action Force and Border Security Force have been deployed in the district to ensure law and order. The Krishna Raja Sagar dam area is being guarded round-the-clock by RAF and BSF personnel, he said. District Commissioner B N Krishnaiah declared a holiday on Monday for all schools and colleges in the district as a precautionary measure.
Holding that agitation do not not serve any purpose, the Supreme Court on Monday said its order directing Karnataka to supply 9,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu will not be an impediment in the Prime Minister deciding on the review petition filed before the Cauvery River Authority. The apex court was dealing with an application moved by Karnataka seeking stay on its September 28 order directing release of water.
Karna, TN should go by facts, says Governor
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Meanwhile, Governor H R Bhardwaj on Monday said agitational approach adds to the problem of the state and requested Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to go by facts and help each other to solve the Cauvery water dispute.
“Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should go by facts and help each other. That is what courts, CRA and tribunal will also do, but agitational approach adds to the state’s problem,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. Bhardwaj said in this age it does not help treading agitational path as courts do not work under pressure. “Such problems arose out of the consequences of nature and have to be resolved in a spirit of cooperation between two sister states or adjoining states,” he said.
Asked if he has written to the government on Cauvery issue, Bhardwaj said he does not want to write anything on the matter as he believes in meeting people personally.
“Writing is not good because I have good relations with the government. After a long spell of my work here, I have a piece of mind here,” he added.
Cauvery basin areas in Karnataka are witnessing intense protests over release of water to Tamil Nadu and a statewide dawn-to-dusk bandh was called by Kannada outfits on Saturday.
Karnataka has been releasing water in line with a Supreme Court directive, asking it to abide by the September 19 Cauvery River Authority (CRA) ruling to spare 9,000 cusecs till October 15.