Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by its State president Mukhyamantri Chandru joined the protest by the Federation of Karnataka Farmers’ Associations against release of water from Kabini reservoir in Mysuru to Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
A meeting of activists from the AAP and the farmers’ outfit led by its president Kurubur Shanthakumar at Kuvempu Park near Gun House circle earlier in the day resolved to condemn the State government’s decision to “betray” the trust of State’s farmers by releasing water to Tamil Nadu at a time when there was insufficient storage in the reservoirs.
The meeting also denounced the State government’s decision to hold an all-party conclave on the Cauvery issue in Bengaluru by excluding the farmers from the meeting. The protestors dismissed the all-party meeting as a “stunt” of the State government after releasing water to Tamil Nadu.
To display their ire against the release of water, the activists of AAP and the farmers’ outfit took out a march to the office of the Chief Engineer of Irrigation by carrying empty pots of water. However, their efforts to lay siege to the Irrigation Department’s office were prevented by the police.
The protestors were not allowed to proceed to the office of the Irrigation Department. Farmers’ leader Kurubur Shanthakumar said they had come to the Irrigation Department’s office to seek justice for farmers. Though the farmers had been opposing the release of water to Tamil Nadu, the State government had turned a blind eye to their protests, he alleged.
While imposing restrictions on the local farmers for use of water, the State government was liberally discharging water to Tamil Nadu, he contended. He sought to expose the State Government’s “theatrics’ by holding an all-party meeting after “exhausting” the reservoirs of the water by releasing it to Tamil Nadu.
The AAP leader Mukhyamantri Chandru alleged that Congress, BJP, and JD(S) have been cheating the people of the State all these years.
He wondered how the farmers of the State can expect justice when the parties that cheated them all these years were holding a meeting to resolve the Cauvery issue.
Also, he took serious exception to the State government’s decision to invite only three parties. “How can you call it an all-party meeting by inviting only three parties. There are several other parties in the State”, he said.
He also took exception to keeping the farmers out of the meeting. “Farmers, who know what problems they are facing, should have been invited to the meeting”, he said.
He threatened a State-wide agitation if the State government failed to represent Karnataka’s interests properly in the court.
Meanwhile, a senior official from the Irrigation Department, who was deputed to meet the protestors, assured to bring their protest against release of water from Kabini reservoir to the notice of the government. However, the official claimed that quantum of release had already been brought down.
