JD(S) Member of Parliament and former Prime Minister, HD Devegowda got emotional during his recent press conference addressing the contentious Cauvery water-sharing issue.
As reported by ANI, HD Devegowda said, “I request the Center to send a team to Karnataka and let them investigate the present water situation in the state…I’m alive not for politics or power. We are here to save the people of the state, my party exists for this.”
Gowda further noted, “I have made an appeal to the PM on the prevailing situation. In my letter to the PM, I wrote that the Jal Shakti department should file a review petition and a committee of experts should be sent to Karnataka to study the water and standing crop situation.”
The protestors demanded the sharing of Cauvery water to save the standing ‘kuruvai’ crop cultivation in Tamil Nadu.
The ongoing Cauvery conflict between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has escalated in recent times. This escalation began when farmer groups in Karnataka initiated protests against the transfer of water to Tamil Nadu. Their contention is that the state’s reservoirs are currently experiencing water scarcity due to inadequate rainfall in the Cauvery basin during this year.
Also Read: Bengaluru news: Farmers, pro-Kannada outfits stage protest in Mandya over Cauvery row
The visuals from Trichy showed the protestors raising slogans demanding the release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu and saving farmers. Earlier, on Sunday, a group of farmers in Trichy staged a protest by standing in the Cauvery River water over the ongoing dispute with Karnataka.
Both states have been witness to protests after Karnataka hardened its stance on sharing Cauvery water citing severe drought in parts of the state.
The Cauvery water management authority has issued an order directing the Karnataka government to release 5,000 cusecs of Cauvery river water to its neighboring state, Tamil Nadu. However, it’s worth noting that the court dismissed a petition from the Tamil Nadu government seeking an increase in its current daily share of Cauvery water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs.
In Bengaluru, pro-Kannada organizations have announced a ‘Bengaluru Bandh’ scheduled for September 26. This call for a city-wide shutdown follows a recent total bandh observed in Mandya city in protest against a Supreme Court ruling.
(With inputs from ANI)
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Updated: 25 Sep 2023, 01:59 PM IST
