Shivarajakumar said Tamil Nadu and Karnataka should come together to resolve the Cauvery issue
New Delhi:
Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar, popular as Shivanna among fans, apologised to actor Siddharth, whose promotional event in Bengaluru for his upcoming film Chithha was interrupted by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Swabhimani Sene on Thursday over the Cauvery water row.
“On behalf of our industry, I am very sorry Siddharth. Ours is a land that loves and enjoys all languages,” Mr Shivarajkumar said.
Siddharth, who works predominantly in the Tamil and Telugu film industry, had to walk out of the event midway on Thursday, triggering a massive backlash from Tamil Nadu, embroiled in a fight with Karnataka over water from the Cauvery River.
The pro-Kannada outfit, protesting over the Cauvery river row, said it was not the appropriate time for the actor to promote his film given Tamil Nadu’s demand for the release of Cauvery water by Karnataka.
Earlier today, Shivarajakumar spoke about the Cauvery water-sharing dispute and said that both states should come together to find a proper way to resolve the issue without “hurting sentiments”.
“We must put pressure on both the governments and get an amicable result. There should be a better way than this bandh. We have to search for a better way. I will try to speak to both the governments and take the film industry people too for better cooperation,” the superstar said.
Karnataka has been witnessing protests over the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the decisions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and its assisting body Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) that directed the state to do so.
In the latest decision, the CWRC had ordered Karnataka to ensure the release of 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu starting September 28 till October 15, 2023. In the earlier spell, it was 5,000 cusecs.
Speaking to reporters today, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “There was a meeting of the Cauvery Management Authority today. We have submitted all our facts. I will hold a meeting with retired Supreme Court Judges today. I will talk with our legal team if we can question this in the Supreme Court. We will decide what to do after talking to them. Let us see what happens next.”
“Kannada Okkoota”, a federation of Kannada organisations, called a state-wide strike in Karnataka today to protest against Tamil Nadu’s demand that Karnataka releases water from the Cauvery River.
The two states have been at loggerheads for decades over sharing water from the river.
