Mandya, July 31 (IANS) Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were detained by police after laying siege to the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Srirangapatna on Friday as part of a massive protest against the Congress government’s handling of the Cauvery water dispute. BJP State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra accused Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of “shedding crocodile tears” over the issue.
The BJP organised the protest near the KRS Dam to condemn the state government’s alleged failure to safeguard Karnataka’s interests following the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) direction to release water to Tamil Nadu.
Police detained several BJP leaders and protesters after they attempted to march towards and lay siege to the KRS Dam. Security had been significantly tightened in the area, with over 1,500 police personnel deployed to prevent any untoward incidents.
Several senior BJP leaders participated in the protest, including former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, former minister N. Mahesh, MLC C.T. Ravi, MLA T.S. Srivatsa, BJP General Secretary Preetham J. Gowda, and BJP chief spokesperson Ashwath Narayan.
Party workers, elected representatives, and leaders from Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, and other districts also took part in the demonstration.
Addressing the gathering, Vijayendra alleged that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had forgotten the plight of farmers after assuming office.
He said Shivakumar had earlier undertaken a padyatra for the Mekedatu project, but now the Congress government was “playing with the lives of farmers instead of protecting their interests.”
The BJP leader criticised Shivakumar for making multiple visits to New Delhi in recent weeks without making sufficient efforts to protect Karnataka’s farmers.
“He has visited Delhi 10 times in the last month, but did not make any serious attempt to protect the interests of farmers. Calling an all‑party meeting now is like shutting the fort gates after the town has been looted,” Vijayendra remarked.
He further alleged that the state government had already released substantial quantities of water to Tamil Nadu over the past three months and questioned why an all‑party meeting had not been convened earlier.
“Only after the CWMA issued its order has the Chief Minister begun this drama. He is shedding crocodile tears. Under no circumstances will we allow injustice to be done to farmers in the Cauvery basin,” he said.
Vijayendra accused the Congress government of being anti‑farmer and demanded that it immediately respond to the concerns of farmers in the Cauvery region.
Addressing the protest, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa accused Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of prioritising cabinet expansion discussions in New Delhi over the interests of Karnataka’s people.
Yediyurappa said that if Shivakumar were sincere, he would refuse to release even a drop of water to Tamil Nadu and, if necessary, resign from his post.
He urged the Chief Minister to show the water situation at KRS to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. He pressed for immediate implementation of the Mekedatu project, while assuring that the BJP would continue to stand with farmers.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka alleged that Shivakumar was acting as “Tamil Nadu’s water agent” and claimed he should have consulted legal experts and effectively presented Karnataka’s case before the Cauvery authorities.
He accused the Chief Minister of prioritising cabinet expansion discussions in New Delhi over the state’s interests.
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy alleged that the government had failed to convince the Cauvery authorities about Karnataka’s water shortage and said the BJP would support the government if it refused to release water from the KRS reservoir.
MLC C.T. Ravi said the all‑party meeting should have been convened much earlier and urged the government to place the ground realities before the courts.
He warned that the people of Karnataka would not forgive any betrayal of the state’s interests.
–IANS
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