Activists plan black badge protest on Rajyotsava Day

The activists of the Permanent Irrigation Struggle Committee have decided to protest wearing black bands on Rajyotsava Day if the Deputy Chief Ministers K S Eshwarappa, R Ashoka and Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai do not accept their memorandum by October 31.

However, the activists want the ministers to be apolitical in their approach. The district in-charge minister A Narayanaswamy had accepted the memorandum as a token gesture at the instance of someone, they said.

No unanimity

There appears to be no unanimity among the various organisations who have been demanding implementation of the Paramashivaiah Report for permanent water supply to the parched “bayaluseeme”, including Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts. The protest seems to take a new direction everyday with various organisations expressing their opinions either for or against every aspect that crops up on the matter.

A meeting was organised at the taluk panchayat hall on Friday to discuss the modalities of continuing the protest and the way in which the protesting organisations should observe Rajyotsava Day

However, differences of opinion arose at the meeting held among the members of the Committee and representatives of various organisations in the presence of the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police.

Ridicule

The members of the Permanent Irrigation Struggle Committee, who want to protest without criticising anybody, have become the butt of ridicule the politicians of BJP, Congress and JD(S) every now and then.

“If politicians are blamed for not providing permanent irrigation due to lack of political will on the part of various parties which ruled the State, some political leaders take an offence to this. Under such circumstance, how can the struggle for permanent irrigation progress?” the activists ask.

The government’s move on the Yettinahole project cannot solve the water woes of the region, the protesters said. When the ruling BJP government was blamed for not supporting the proposal for a permanent irrigation system, BJP leader A V Byre Gowda, who was present at the meeting asked, “What were the other parties doing all these years. Why do you blame the BJP government?”

Members of some organisations wanted to boycott the Rajyotsava celebrations. However, members of the Committee wanted to protest wearing black badges. The members did not want to undermine the significance of Rajyotsava Day, but wanted to continue their protest with black bands amidst celebrations.

Members of some organisations were upset that the protest cannot progress if there is no unanimity in the opinion of the committee members and the representatives of the organisations.