Mandya, July 13 (IANS). Senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party and leader of opposition R. Ashok on Monday warned that if the Karnataka government does not release water for standing crops in the Cauvery basin within the next three days, the BJP will gherao the Krishna Raj Sagar (KRS) reservoir.
Ashok visited drought-hit sugarcane fields in Malavalli and nearby villages in Mandya district, spoke to farmers and took stock of the damage caused to the crop due to lack of irrigation water. Speaking to reporters later, he accused the Karnataka government of being busy with cabinet expansion and ignoring the plight of farmers.
He appealed to the state government to immediately call an all-party meeting on the issue of Cauvery water sharing and declare drought in the affected areas.
According to Ashok, Karnataka should come up with a joint strategy to protect the interests of its farmers, especially when neighboring state Tamil Nadu is asserting its claims through legal means.
He said that instead of focusing on political matters, the government should first discuss the drought situation and the Cauvery issue. He also said that if water was not released from the KRS within three days, the BJP would gherao the reservoir to ensure water for the farmers.
Ashok argued that the government should release water at least once to save the standing sugarcane crop. He reminded that in previous years, water was released to crops even when the water level in the KRS was around 86 feet.
He said that even if water is not given for new farming, it is necessary to save the existing crops. Also, farmers whose crops have been damaged should also get compensation. He said it was necessary to declare a drought so that relief measures like subsidies for fodder and drinking water could be taken.
The BJP leader also criticized the state leadership and alleged that ministers and ruling party MLAs were focusing more on getting ministerial posts rather than solving the problems of farmers.
He said the discussion should not be limited to Congress members only and appealed to the government to consult MLAs of all political parties before taking any decision on the Cauvery issue.
–IANS
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