Vatal Nagaraj rules out withdrawing Karnataka bandh call
Veteran Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday ruled out the possibility of Kannada organisations withdrawing the call for a Karnataka bandh on August 13. Speaking
Veteran Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday ruled out the possibility of Kannada organisations withdrawing the call for a Karnataka bandh on August 13. Speaking to reporters during a demonstration in Mysuru, Mr. Nagaraj rejected Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s appeal to call off the Statewide bandh following the recent rains, which have revived hopes of improved inflows into the Cauvery basin reservoirs. He said the Kannada organisations would not step back from the agitation and sought to make it clear that the bandh had been called not just over the Cauvery issue, but for the overall development of Kannadigas and Karnataka.
The Kannada organisations would not succumb to any pressure to call off the bandh, he said. “The Cauvery water issue is not the only concern,” he said, while pointing out that the bandh had been called to highlight several issues, including the border dispute, the activities of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), employment opportunities for Kannadigas, the overall development of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, and the Cauvery water-sharing issue. He also reiterated his opposition to the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
In the absence of adequate water in the reservoirs, the people of the State would face a difficult situation if water was released to Tamil Nadu. He also demanded the construction of the Mekedatu balancing reservoir so that Cauvery water could be prevented from flowing into the sea before being released to Tamil Nadu. Nagaraj also took exception to Mr. Shivakumar’s reported remarks mocking the agitators. Referring to the Chief Minister’s reported remarks that the activists were only seeking media publicity, Mr. Nagaraj asked how it was any different from Mr. Shivakumar posing with a mortar pan before photographers in Bengaluru recently.
He also took exception to the Chief Minister’s reported remark that the activists would be swept away by the river if they attempted to stop the release of water by entering it.
The BriefWire