Tension prevailed for several hours on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border after activists of a Kannada Rakshana Vedike staged a road blockade at Karapallam on Mysore-Sathy Road on Saturday opposing the SC order directing Karnataka to release Cauvery water to TN.
A 250-strong group, led by the district president of the Vedike, Manjunatha Gowda, and the secretary, Chinnasamy, took out a rally from Chamrajnagar to Karapallam before blocking the road on the border. The protestors shouted slogans against the SC ruling and TN Government and also burnt Tamil newspapers.
As a result of the stir, inter-state vehicles were stopped inside respective borders.
The Karnataka police arrested 250 agitators, including five women, late in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Government decided to submit a petition to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to issue an ‘interim stay’ on the Cauvery River Authority’s (CRA) September 19 directions to release 9,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu from September 20 to October 15, as it was not practicable to implement.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar convened a meeting of floor leaders of all parties and sought their opinion to workout the future strategies on the issue.
Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok, Law Minister Suresh Kumar, other senior ministers and leaders attended the meeting.
Congress leaders Sidharamaiah and S R Patil, and JD(S) leaders H D Revanna and Shivalinge Gowda reportedly took exception to the absence of the senior counsel of the State when the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict.
Former Prime Minister and JD(S) national president appealed to the Prime Minister to send an expert team to Karnataka to assess the ground realities on the availability of Cauvery water.
Senior Congress leader H K Patil said that Karnataka had miserably failed to convince the CRA and SC on Cauvery row but the Congress would not make it a political issue.
In Tamil Nadu, CPI national executive member R Nallakannu said, “Cutting across party lines we must fight for the rights in Cauvery water with both Karnataka and Central governments.”
Congress Leader EVKS Elangovan said the Centre should dismiss Karnataka government if it failed to heed the SC order on releasing water to TN.
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