Cauvery row: activists hold mock obsequies of CM, minister to vent ire

Activists of the Karnataka Janapara Vedike on Tuesday performed mock obsequies ceremony (thithi) of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Water Resources Minister M B Patil to vent their ire against the state government for its failure to respond to their demands.

The residents of surrounding villages took part in the rituals and built graves out of soil and decorated them with flowers. Later, they offered ‘vade, kajjaya, chakkuli, kodubale, kadalepuri’ and performed puja. Activists Siddaramu, Srinivas and Krishnegowda tonsured their heads to mark the ceremony. The activists also shouted slogans against the state government stating that, “You people died without releasing water into the canals. May your soul rest in peace.”

An activist told DH that their repeated pleas and protests seeking release of water from KRS dam into the canals has not been considered by the government. “In our view, the government has died. Hence, we have performed the ‘thithi’ of the CM and the minister,” he said.

Mandya

Members of the Raitha Sangha tried to grab the attention of the people by erecting flexboards on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway to condemn the elected representatives of the district for their “failure” to take steps to release water into the canals.

The flexes had pictures of MP C S Puttaraju, MLCs Marithibbegowda, K T Srikantegowda and Appaji Gowda, MLAs Ambarish, D C Thammanna, P M Narendraswamy, K S Puttannaiah, Ramesh Bandisiddegowda and K C Narayanagowda.

Srirangapatna

Raitha Sangha members of the taluk staged a road block on Mysuru-Bengaluru highway at Srirangapatna and raised slogans against the state government and Cauvery Neeravari Nigam. They claimed that the government had turned a blind eye towards the issue despite farmers staging protests for more than 20 days. “If the government does not respond to the issue in two days, the farmers will stage a hunger strike in all the villages and will also take out a ‘jail bharo’ agitation,” they warned.