Bengaluru: Senior pro-Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj has convened an urgent meeting of various pro-Kannada organisations on Friday, July 31, to outline future agitations, including a 'Karnataka Bandh', in protest against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
The crucial meeting will be held under the banner of the Kannada Okkuta-Karnataka State at the WoodLand Hotel in the city at 11:30 AM. The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has directed the state to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu from the KRS dam for 15 days, amounting to nearly 6 TMC of water. Pro-Kannada groups strongly condemned the order, stating that water levels in most reservoirs across Karnataka have depleted and drought-like conditions are emerging, making the water release detrimental to farmers and the general public. The organisations plan to map out protests to pressure both the central and state governments.
Dr Rajkumar Fans Association president Sa Ra Govindu, Kannada Sena state president K R Kumar, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leaders Shivaramegowda and Pravin Kumar Shetty, and Kannada Jagruthi Vedike state president Manjunath Dev and H V Girish Gowda, along with leaders and office-bearers of various pro-Kannada outfits, will participate in the meeting. Vatal Nagaraj stated that a final decision regarding future agitations and the Karnataka bandh will be taken after detailed deliberations during the meeting.