BJP's Cauvery Jagruti Yatra opposing water release to Tamil Nadu

Claiming that the crops in the Cauvery basin region have withered as water was not released at the right time, Bommai said the state government must pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to every farmer in the region.

The BJP on Friday decided to launch Cauvery Rakshana Yatra in the Cauvery basin region after performing a puja at Kurudumale Vighneshwara-Someshwara temple in Kolar on the Ganesha festival day on Monday.

At the meeting of Cauvery basin BJP leaders here, the party decided to laulhch a Cauvery Jagruti Yatra in every taluk in the Cauvery basin. “Along with padayatra, the party will also stage dharna and other kinds of agitations in every taluk of the river basin,” former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters. 

In a joint press conference, the BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa and former chief minister Bommai alleged, “It is amply clear that the state government has failed miserably in anticipating the drought as well as effectively arguing the state’s case at all three levels - Supreme Court,  auvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) - which has resulted in release of water to Tamil Nadu.” 

Yediyurappa alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is behaving like Tamil Nadu’s chief minister to protect the interests I.N.D.I.A alliance instead of safeguarding the state’s interests.

Bommai underlined that the state government must take steps to pay more compensation to Cauvery basin farmers as they have lost their crops. “They are entitled to get regular drought relief along with all other farmers in the state. But the state government must pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to every farmer in the region,” he said. 

He also made an appeal to the government to stop releasing water to Tamil Nadu. 

He also sought to know the need to drag the Central government into the water-sharing row. “The Congress is giving petty reasons to shirk from its responsibility. The state government must write to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin and not to the Union government.  Since the DMK is one of the allies of the I.N.D.I.A alliance, Siddaramaiah must write to his counterpart Stalin instead of asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in this matter,” he said.