BS Yediyurappa to stage protest against Cauvery water release, Kumaraswamy to participate: HD Deve Gowda
Former PM HD Deve Gowda said BJP leader BS Yediyurappa will stage a protest in Bengaluru against release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
Former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday said senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa will stage a demonstration in Bengaluru in protest against the release of Cauvery water to neighbouring state Tamil Nadu today.
His son and JDS second in command HD Kumaraswamy is also expected to join the sit-in demonstration, which is set to be held near the Gandhi statue in Bengaluru, he said.
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This comes a day after the Bengaluru bandh, which was called by farmers and pro-Kannada activists in protest against the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. The bandh call evoked a partial response in the state capital, with schools, other educational institutions, restaurants, shops and establishments remaining shut, while public transport including KSRTC, BMTC, Metro and cab aggregators - Ola, Uber - running as per usual.
Bengaluru saw several protests by farmers, pro-Kannada groups and opposition parties alike, with hundreds of people being detained by cops during the strikes.
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While maintaining that there was no water, Karnataka was releasing 5,000 cusecs per day, directed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in an order. However, the committee in a meeting yesterday decided to reduce the amount of water being released from Karnataka to 3,000 cusecs after considering the drought-like situation being witnessed in several districts amid a rainfall deficit.
The Cauvery river water sharing dispute has been going on between the two southern states for decades.
(With ANI inputs)
