Senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced the party will undertake a 'Cauvery Rakshana Yatra' to protest against the Karnataka government's release of water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The saffron party will undertake yatra in the taluks on the Cauvery River basin. He also demanded that the government pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 for each acre to every farmer in the Cauvery basin as the region has withered due to delay in release of water.

Alleging that the state government has failed to protect the interests of the farmers of the state, who as per him will be adversely impacted, Bommai, said, "The management of Cauvery water should have happened in the month of June. We have not released even 30 percent of water to our farmers. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu farmers are growing a second crop. Our (Karnataka) government miserably failed to make an impressive argument before the Cauvery Water Management Authority."

He held the Siddaramaiah led Congress government for failing to convince the Supreme Court about the prevailing situation in the Cauvery basin. "We released water and got into trouble. The state government is in a defensive position."

The former JDS leader also demanded the state government to put forth "the ground reality" in the Cauvery basin before the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in an effective manner.

"Since Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar has engaged good lawyers, he has been winning in personal cases. Let him engage a good team of advocates regarding the Cauvery water row."

-With inputs from PTI

Also Read:Cauvery issue: Whatever water is there, we have released, says Karnataka Dy CM

First Published:Sept 15, 2023 6:53 PM IST