Stars line up to get water

Slogans denouncing Karnataka for refusing water to Tamil Nadu rent the air as more than 7,000 personnel from the tinsel world, including 1,200 film artistes, walked down the road in front of the public sector Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC), amid tight security. Most of those who took part in the rally clad in black.

Noted director Bharathiraja led the procession which presented a memorandum to the chairman of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation.

A curious presence on the dais at the public meeting was the Madurai Adheenam, the head of a Saivite Mutt, popularly known as a Tamil enthusiast. He was seen making Vijayakant and Bharathiraja hold their hands in a show of solidarity.

Director K. Balachander, one of the most senior personalities present regretted that Deve Gowda, who, as then prime minister, had signed an agreement on sharing the waters of Ganga with Bangladesh, should now seek to deny Cauvery Water to Tamil Nadu.

Actor Sathyaraj said Karnataka was setting a bad example by defying the apex court on the issue. Actor-director Manivannan stressed that the whole exercise was not aimed at denouncing any one but the intention was only to appeal to Karnataka’s good senses by highlighting the plight of Tamil farmers. Rajnikanth, who stayed away from this rally, is to hold a fast tomorrow on the issue.

Over at Mandya, where he wound up his padayatra to drum up support over the Cauvery issue, Karnataka CM S.M. Krishna pleaded with the Supreme Court — that has issued him a second contempt notice — to take note of the south-west monsoon active in parts of Tamil Nadu, ensuring more water inflows into their reservoir.