Cauvery row: Activist Vatal Nagaraj says August 13 Karnataka bandh will go ahead

Vatal Nagaraj said the Karnataka bandh on August 13 will proceed despite reported differences among pro-Kannada groups. The call has kept the Cauvery dispute and the Mekedatu debate at the centre of Karnataka's response.

In Short

• Hotels association offered moral support but urged organisers to withdraw the call
• The water authority upheld release of 3,500 cusecs to Tamil Nadu
• Karnataka earlier cited low reservoir storage before renewed rainfall improved inflows

Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj said on Monday that the Karnataka bandh called for August 13 would go ahead as planned, despite reports of differences among several pro-Kannada organisations over whether the shutdown should be held against the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu.

While some outfits and activists are said to believe that a bandh would not be appropriate in the present situation and are planning to meet to decide the next course of action, Nagaraj insisted the shutdown had wide support across Karnataka. He said over 2,000 organisations, along with students, had backed the bandh.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Nagaraj said, "From Belagavi to Chamarajanagara and from Mangaluru to Kolar over 2,000 organisations have supported the bandh in the interest of the state. Students have also extended support." He added, "No one has said no to the bandh, everyone is supporting. There is no division among us (Kannada organisations and activists)." Pro-Kannada outfits had announced the bandh on July 31 after a meeting held under his leadership in Bengaluru.

The bandh call came after the Cauvery Water Management Authority upheld an earlier order of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Karnataka had initially said it was unable to release water because of poor storage in its reservoirs. Later, after heavy rainfall in the state's catchment areas, it began releasing Cauvery water.

The Bangalore Hotels Association said on Monday that it would extend moral support to the bandh, but later appealed to pro-Kannada organisations to withdraw the call, citing reasons including rainfall in the state. In a release, the association said, "Some pro-Kannada organizations have called for a Karnataka bandh on August 13. As entrepreneurs, we are completely committed to Karnataka and Kannada when it comes to land, water, and language. However, since the hotel industry comes under essential services, we will extend our moral support to the Karnataka bandh." It also said D K Shivakumar had already convened an all-party meeting and stated that necessary steps would be taken on the issue, and that there was no need for a bandh. "There are also court guidelines against calling for a bandh. Fortunately, it is a matter of happiness that the state is receiving rainfall, thanks to the grace of Lord Varuna," the association said.

Meanwhile, Nagaraj and a group of Kannada activists staged a protest near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border in Attibele against Tamil Nadu's opposition to the Mekedatu project. Police detained Nagaraj and others when they tried to block the highway. Speaking to reporters, he questioned Tamil Nadu's stand and warned of a future water crisis in Bengaluru if the project was not implemented. "If there's no Mekedatu, Bengaluru will face a drinking water shortage in the future, what will the people of Bengaluru do? Bengaluru includes people speaking Tamil and other languages, what would you do without water?" he asked. Mekedatu is a multi-purpose project for drinking water and power proposed by Karnataka, involving a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Bengaluru South district, and Tamil Nadu has opposed it over concerns about water availability.

For now, Nagaraj has said the August 13 bandh will go ahead, even as some organisations weigh their next move and the Cauvery water-sharing issue continues to drive protests and political responses in Karnataka.

- Ends
With PTI inputs