The Opposition BJP and JD(S) leaders staged a joint satyagraha in Bengaluru on Wednesday accusing the Congress government of its failure to protect the interests of Karnataka in the inter-State row over sharing of Cauvery river water.
BJP veteran leader B.S. Yediyurappa and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy spearheaded the protest that was staged in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Vidhana Soudha premises. This was the first joint protest staged by the two parties after they formally announced their decision to forge an alliance between them for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Several prominent leaders from both the parties participated in the protest.
Addressing the protesters, Mr. Yediyurappa accused the Congress government in Karnataka of working like an “agent of DMK in Tamil Nadu.” He said people of the State had taken to streets to protect such an injustice and that the BJP-JD(S) would support the people’s fight for justice. He warned the government that the law and order situation would go out of hand if it did not try to rectify its stand, and that it would have to take the blame for such a situation.
Mr. Kumaraswamy accused the Congress government of hoodwinking the people of the State. He alleged that the government had ignored the interests of State farmers and had constantly erred in handling legal issues. He demanded that a decision should be arrived on sharing Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu based on actual availability of water. There was a dire need to find an amicable solution by placing facts before the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel, former Chief Minister D. V. Sadananda Gowda and several legislators and leaders from both parties took part in the protest.
