“We are emotional on the issue of land, water and language, but we should not forget that humanity and human relationship within us is above all this”, Siddaramaiah said. Talking to reporters at the Chennai Airport, Stalin said violence in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu could have been prevented, had the chief ministers met. “DMK president M Karunanidhi has been demanding an all-party meeting”.
Advertisement
He also assured that there will not be any problem for supply ofdrinking water in the Cauvery basin area including Bengaluru, Mandyaand Mysore cities besides various towns and villages.
Tempers have been running high on Karnataka’s streets since a September 5 Supreme Court ruling which ordered the state to release 15,000 cubic feet of water per second per day (cusecs) from its reservoirs to relieve drought-stricken farmers in Tamil Nadu. “I trust you will keep national interest and nation building above all else, and give priority to restraint, harmony, and finding a solution, eschewing violence”, he said.
“Whenever the country has faced adverse circumstances, the people of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, just like people across the country have always handled the situation with sensitivity”, he noted.
Due to ongoing Cauvery water dispute, a bride had to walk several kilometers to reach groom’s place in Tamil Nadu.. They declared a day’s off on Monday as the violence escalated.
Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah has assured that he would deal with such violent protests with an iron hand.
Protests have turned violent with pro-Kannada groups burning down vehicles with number plates from Tamil Nadu.
This has resulted in widespread disorder in Karnataka which has seen instances of travel and transport services being blocked, buses being burnt and anti-tamil violence leading to the imposition of a curfew in Bangalore – the state’s capital.
One protester was killed overnight after police fired on a mob which was trying to torch a police vehicle, T.R. Suresh, deputy police commissioner for the city’s north, said.
Metro rail has also resumed its service in the city since yesterday night. He said the modified order has forced the state government to release an additional 18,000 cusecs of water to TN.
“I reiterate that I will be the last person to garner publicity by issuing political statements that could endanger the peace of both these states”, he added.
“The situation in Bangalore and other parts of the state is peaceful and under control”.
Section 144 was imposed in parts of Bengaluru, Mysuru and Pandavapura as a preventive measure on Monday.
Advertisement
In a bid to stop this violence, a Kanyakumari activist has moved the Supreme Court seeking direction to the two states to act against those who indulged in such protests.
