Karnataka govt released Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu due to DMK pressure: Union minister Chandrasekhar

Pune: Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday claimed the Karnataka government released Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu after succumbing to the pressure from the ruling DMK and the INDIA bloc. He alleged the Siddaramaiah government released the water as the Congress was aware that it could not survive without the MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to reporters here, Chandrasekhar said the BJP would not allow the political pressure to which the "Congress has succumbed" to affect the people of Karnataka and will put up a strong fight. "The government of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar released (Cauvery) water without consulting any party. Their government didn't have any all-party consultation on the issue.

"They didn't consult farmers and released the water under pressure from DMK as Congress cannot survive without DMK in Tamil Nadu. The Congress government has succumbed to the pressure of DMK and the INDIA-UPA coalition," he said. The Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Rozgar Mela event where 193 youths were given appointment letters.

"The BJP in Karnataka has made it very clear that we will stand firm on the rights of our farmers and citizens. We won't allow any coalition or opportunistic politics to come in the way of the interest of the people of Karnataka," the BJP leader said. Various organisations observed a bandh in Bengaluru on Tuesday against the Cauvery water release. Queried about the AIADMK snapping ties with the National Democratic Alliance, Chandrasekhar said the BJP leadership will decide what to do. "But everyone is experiencing the effect of Narendra Modiji's leadership on their life and the work done in the last nine years. No one should think that it (the work effect) will get affected in any way because of some reduction in the alliance," he added. Chandrasekhar further said the people of the country feel that PM Modi should continue doing his work for them. He said political differences are bound to happen but the momentum (under the Modi government) will now slow down