Farmers slam Kannada actors for not supporting stir over Cauvery water sharing

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Sep 20, 2023: Farmers in Mandya continued their protest against the government over the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu on Wednesday and slammed film actors for not joining them.

 

Expressing their anger against popular Kannada actors over their silence on the issue, they put up posters containing photographs of the actors with tapes drawn over their lips to mark their silence.

Posters criticising actors, including Yash, Darshan Thoogudeepa, and Kichcha Sudeep, were put up.

The posters read, "Condemn the actors, who didn’t raise their voices on the Cauvery issue."

The farmers said the government did not pay heed to their well-being and their harvest.

Meanwhile, pro-Kannada activists held protests outside the Karnataka film chamber in Bengaluru against the film industry for not raising their voices in support of farmers on the Cauvery water issue.

Citing the "drought-like situation" in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the state government will appeal in the Supreme Court for an injunction against the CWMA order that stipulates the release of about 5,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu till September 28.

Siddarmaiah also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in this regard.

The order by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) came on September 18.

Siddarmaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar are likely to meet the Union Jal Shakti Minister to discuss this matter.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged the Congress government in Karnataka not to "politicise" the matter as the state has agreed to release 2,500 cusecs out of 5,000 cusecs of water to TN.

The issue was discussed in a meeting with all Members of Parliament and Union Ministers from Karnataka in the national capital here. Barring Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, all MPs from the state attended the meeting.

"The state is in distress as we have not received enough rainfall. There is a drought-like situation in the state. Out of 230 taluks, 195 taluks have been declared as drought-hit. In a meeting to be held soon, another 20-odd taluks will be declared drought-hit," Siddaramaiah told reporters after the meeting.

August saw a rainfall shortage for the first time in 123 years. In times of distress, there is no formula to decide how much water to be released for Tamil Nadu, he said.

Courtesy: India Today