Tamil Nadu: Farmers protest with human skeletons over Cauvery water dispute

Trichy (Tamil Nadu) [India]: The National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers Association under the leadership of Ayyakannu held a protest on Monday in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy by holding parts of the human skeleton and demanded the sharing of Cauvery water.

The protestors demanded the sharing of Cauvery water to save the standing ‘kuruvai’ crop cultivation in TN.

The visuals from Trichy showed the protestors raising slogans demanding the release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu and saving farmers.

Earlier, on Sunday, a group of farmers in Trichy staged a protest by standing in the Cauvery River water over the ongoing dispute with Karnataka.

Both states have been witness to protests after Karnataka hardened its stance on sharing Cauvery water citing sever drought in parts of the state.

The Cauvery water management authority then ordered the Karnataka government to release 5,000 cusecs of Cauvery river water to neighboring Tamil Nadu. The court however, declined to entertain an application filed by the Tamil Nadu government to increase its current share of Cauvery water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs per day.

In Bengaluru pro-Kannada organizations have given a call for a ‘Bengaluru Bandh’ on 26 September. The call comes after Mandya city observed a total bandh on Saturday, protesting against a Supreme Court order.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said the farmers have the right to protest but political parties were fanning the people’s anger.

” In a democracy there is an opportunity to protest. We are not going to disrupt the protest. But the BJP-JDS party is playing politics in this. There is a hearing before the Supreme Court tomorrow regarding the Cauvery issue. Our lawyers will present a competent argument” said Siddaramaiah.

The opposition BJP and JDS have alleged that CM Siddaramaiah has failed in Cauvery river water protection. In his response the Karnataka CM said he was bound by the order of the Apex Court.

“There is a Supreme Court order. Our petition was dismissed in the Supreme Court, we argued that we cannot release water. We had filed an application in the court questioning the Cauvery authority’s order. The court rejected both our application and Tamil Nadu’s application” he said.

Tamil Nadu has sought fresh directions for the release of Cauvery River water from Karnataka, claiming that the neighbouring State had changed its stand, and had released a reduced quantum of water as against what was agreed upon earlier.

” Though Karnataka’s argument is that there is a lack of water in Cauvery at the same time Tamil Nadu is suffering, the delta farmers are totally dependent on agriculture. Tamil Nadu govt is trying through the legal process and in all the possible manner, seeking the support of the Union Govt and Jal Shakti Minister as well as coordinating through all the possible sources to settle this issue amicably” said DMK MP Tiruchi Siva

“Our CM is very diplomatically handling this issue and we are hopeful that Tamil Nadu will get its due” he added.