Cauvery: DKS defers meeting with Vijay, calls all-party meet on August 2

The CWMA order is the first Cauvery crisis encountered by the two new CMs of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu — D K Shivakumar and C Joseph Vijay — whose parties are political allies.

Pro-Kannada groups, which have traditionally been against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu during distress years for Karnataka farmers, held a meeting on Friday afternoon and announced a state bandh on August 13.

“The (CWRC) order to release water to Tamil Nadu must be strongly opposed. There will be a bandh in the whole of Karnataka on August 13 from 6 am to 6 pm. The Karnataka Film Association, the state employees association, hotel associations and others are supporting this bandh. We call for moral support from everyone and ask that no one should oppose the bandh,” said veteran Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj.

Earlier this week, Karnataka CM Shivakumar had invited  Vijay to the state for a meeting on the Cauvery issue on August 3 and suggested a joint aerial survey to understand the water crisis due to a deficient Monsoon.

On Friday, Shivakumar said the meeting with Vijay was postponed. “It was decided that the Tamil Nadu CM would come on August 3. The situation is not good now… If they intend to protect the interests of their state, we intend to protect the interests of our state…” he said.

On Thursday, following the CWMA’s confirmation of the CWRC July 28 order, the Karnataka CM said another appeal had been filed before the Authority and an all-party meeting on the Cauvery water issue will be held on Sunday, August 2.

“We have discussed this issue with (BJP) MPs and Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, V Somanna, Jagadish Shettar and Basavaraj Bommai, and they are making utmost efforts for the welfare of the state,” Shivakumar said.

“The entire country must work together,” he said regarding the possibility of tensions escalating on the issue  with the Opposition parties in the two states  looking to capitalise on the quandary of the allies.