Cauvery Row: Siddaramaiah Giving Water To Tamil Nadu Under DMK's Pressure, Union Minister

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that Cauvery river water was being released by Karnataka government under the pressure of DMK.

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Cauvery river water sharing dispute ( Image Source :ANI )

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday blamed the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka for releasing the waters of Cauvery river under the pressure of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam without consulting other parties or farmers. The minister’s statement comes amid a bandh call given in Bengaluru by various organisations backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) in protest against the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu. 

"I have said it earlier that the government of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar released water without consulting any party. It did not have any all-party consultation. Did not consult the farmers and they released water under the pressure of DMK,” said Chandrasekhar. 

“As you know, Congress cannot survive without the DMK in Tamil Nadu, and Congress has succumbed to the pressures of the DMK and the INDI-UPA Coalition,” he said. 

#WATCH | On the Cauvery water-sharing issue, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says, "I have said it earlier that the government of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar released water without consulting any party. It did not have any all-party consultation. Did not consult the… pic.twitter.com/lI9oiyba6R

— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2023

“The BJP in Karnataka has made it very clear that we will stand firm on the rights of our farmers, the rights of our citizens of Karnataka, and we will not allow any coalition politics or any politics to come in the way of the interest of the people of Karnataka,” said the BJP leader. 

The bandh affected normal life partially in the metropolitan city due after a call for a complete shutdown on Tuesday by the 'Karnataka Jala Samrakshana Samiti', an umbrella outfit of farmers’ associations and other organisations. 

Despite Section 144 imposed, farmer outfits took out bike rallies and held protests in Bengaluru. 

Office goers had a harrowing time at the IT hub as bus services were partially hit. However, all routes of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) remained functional.

Movement of buses from Tamil towards Karnataka were disrupted. Several buses from Tamil Nadu were stopped at Zuzuvadi in Krishnagiri district, ANI reported. KSRTC buses and auto rickshaws remained off roads.