Kannada outfits divided over Cauvery bandh call

Bengaluru: Pro Kannada organisations are divided over the Karnataka bandh on Thursday due to the improvement in rainfall and the storage position in the Cauvery basin reservoirs.

Kannada Chaluvali Vatal party founder Vatal Nagaraj, a former MLA, was firm that the state must observe a bandh on August 13 to protest the Cauvery water regulator’s direction to Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu.

Karnataka Associated Management of Schools (KAMS), however, extended only moral support asking staff to run schools as usual but wear a black badge in support of the state’s cause.


Other pro Kannada outfits, however, reversed their earlier stand saying they don’t see the need for a bandh given the improved storage and steady water flow into Tamil Nadu due to rains.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar earlier appealed to Kannada organisations to withdraw their bandh call saying his government will do its best to safeguard citizens' drinking water interests and farmers' irrigation needs.

Banks, government offices and essential services will function as usual.