Cauvery row: Members of Kannada group disrupt actor Siddharth’s press conference in Bengaluru

Amid a row over Cauvery River water sharing raging between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Swabhimani Sene on Thursday interrupted a press conference being held by actor Siddharth for his film and demanded him to leave the venue. The actor was promoting his upcoming film ‘Chikku’ in Bengaluru when the members of Karnataka Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Swabhimani Sene disrupted the event, saying that it was not an appropriate time for him to do that as Tamil Nadu is demanding Cauvery River water from Karnataka.

Soon after the interruption the actor left the venue. Karnataka has been witnessing protests over the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the decisions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority(CWMA) and its assisting body Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) that directed the state to do so.

In the latest decision, the CWRC had ordered Karnataka to ensure the release of 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu starting from September 28 till October 15, 2023. In the earlier spell, it was 5,000 cusecs. Meanwhile, a group of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists on Thursday held a massive protest in Bengaluru against the state MPs and Siddaramaiah Government over the Cauvery River water issue.

The KRV activists shouted slogans of “Cauvery Is Ours” as they protested against the release of the river water to Tamil Nadu. KRV Women’s Wing President Ashwini Gowda said that this is the time for all Kannadigas to come together and demanded that the state-elected MPs should come up and speak up on the matter and stand for the people of Karnataka or resign from the post.

“The issue has been raised for 150 years and I think this is the right time for all Kannadigas to come and have a better conclusion,” she said in a statement. The KRV activist also demanded the Prime Minister’s intervention in the matter.

“The MPs of Karnataka do not want to raise this issue and they do not want to talk about this. There is not even a single MP talking about the issue of Cauvery, we want them to talk or we want them to resign,” she said. Gowda also asserted that the organization is not supporting the Karnataka Bandh which is scheduled for Friday.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah has said that the state will challenge the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority in the Supreme Court. “The Cauvery Regulatory Committee (CWRC) has ordered to release of 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” CM said.

The CWRC had ordered Karnataka to ensure the release of 3000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu starting from September 28 till October 15, 2023. The amount of water to be released was earlier 5000 cusecs. (ANI)