Cauvery protests: Actor-director Prem extends support to pro-Kannada organisations
Sep 29, 2023
Mandya (Karnataka) [India], September 29 : Kannada actor and director Prem on Friday joined the protestors in Mandya and extended his support to the pro-Kannada organisations protesting over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The actor alleged that the issue is being politicised while extending his support to the protests.
“The Cauvery water issue is being politicised... Cauvery water is the lifeline for this area. I am from this district (Mandya) and we will always extend support to this cause,” Prem said while speaking to ANI.
Farmer unions and pro-Kannada organisations have called for a Karnataka Bandh today after the Cauvery Regulatory Committee (CWRC) ordered to release of 3000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
Many protestors were seen raising slogans that the Cauvery River belongs to them.
Bengaluru police earlier today detained members of pro-Kannada organisations near Attibele in Karnataka amid protests.
Tamil Nadu registration vehicles were stopped at the border town of Zuzuvadi in Tamil Nadu. Around 400 plus buses from various districts in Tamil Nadu are stranded in Hosur as police have prevented them from moving ahead. Earlier in the morning pro-Kannada organisations protested at the border.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said that the state will appeal to the Supreme Court to order the release of 5000 cusecs of water.
"We will again demand the release of 5000 cusecs of water from Karnataka...We will appeal to the Supreme Court and they will direct the Karnataka government,” Duraimurugan said while speaking to reporters in Chennai.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier expressed his disappointment on the recommendation of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) which has directed Karnataka to ensure the release of 3000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu starting from September 28 up to October 15, 2023.
“Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) ordered to release 3000 cusecs of water, I have already spoken to our advocates. They have suggested us to challenge this order in the Supreme Court. We will challenge it in the Supreme Court. We don't have water to release to Tamil Nadu. We are challenging the orders of the CWRC,” CM Siddaramaiah had said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya alleged that the Congress government is making a ‘casual approach’ in the issue to help its INDIA bloc partner, DMK in Tamil Nadu.
“This is a very grim reality that needs to be presented before the Cauvery Water Management Authority. There is no coordination between the CM and the deputy CM. The state government is very casual in its approach. Are they trying to approach this issue in this duplicitous manner because it will help their INDI alliance partner, the DMK government for 2024?,” he added.
The matter has been a controversial issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades and they have been locked in battle over the sharing of water from the Cauvery river, which is a major source of irrigation and drinking water for millions of people in the region.
The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry with respect to the water-sharing capacities.
