BJP to undertake Cauvery Rakshana Yatra in the Cauvery basin yatra: Basavaraj Bommai

Bengaluru: Protesting against the release of the Cauvery water to the neighbouring Tamil Nadu by the State government, the BJP will undertake the Cauvery Rakshana Yatra in the Cauvery basin taluks, said former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Addressing a news conference after holding a meeting with the leaders of the Cauvery basin here on Friday in which the senior leader and former CM Yediyurappa participated, he said the state government has failed to protect the interest of the State regarding the Cauvery issue. The management of the Cauvery water should have happened in the month of June. " We have not released even 30 percent of water to our farmers. On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu farmers are growing the second crop.  Our government miserably failed to make an impressive argument before the Cauvery Water Management Authority. By sacrificing the interest of our farmers, the state government released water for the second crop in Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka government failed to convince the supreme court about the prevailing situation in the Cauvery basin. We released water and got into trouble. The state government is in defensive posture. Ultimately, the Congress government sacrificed our interests.  This government did not have the commitment and morality to protect the rights of Karnataka over the Cauvery water".

The former CM asked the state government to put forth the ground reality in the Cauvery basin before the apex court and the CWMA. 

The state government must present the case in effective manner. Since Water Resources Minister D.K.Shivakumar has engaged the good lawyers he has been winning in the personal cases. Let him deploy a good team of advocates regarding the Cauvery water row.

Bommai said since the crops in the Cauvery basin have withered following the non-release of the water in the right time in the Cauvery basin, the state government must pay a compensation of Rs 25000 per acre to every farmer in the region.  At any cost, water must not be released to the Tamil Nadu, he added 

He said it has been decided to undertake the Cauvery Jagruti yatra in every taluk in the Cauvery basin on behalf of the BJP.  Along with padayatra, they will stage dharna and other kinds of agitation. The next course of action would be decided after September 21 as the case would come up for hearing on September 21.

No need for centre' intervention

The former CM sought to know the need to drag the central government in the Cauvery water sharing row and charged the state government of trying to bring the Union government in this dispute.  The Congress Party was giving petty reasons to shirk from its responsibility. The state government must write to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Stalin, and not to the Union government.  Since the DMK is one of the allies of the I N.D.I.A front, the state must write to the TN CM Stalin.