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'We don't want to give a single
drop of water'

Farmers in Karnataka have decided to continue their agitation even though their government has decided to suspend the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu.

"We will go ahead with our protests. Since the government has stopped water release, the protest will be mild. But we are not going to stop until the Supreme Court gives its decision," former MP and president of the Cauvery River Protection Committee, Puttaswamy Gowda, said on Friday.

Referring to the Tamil Nadu government's decision to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka, Gowda said, "The protest has to continue till all these things are over. We don't want to give a single drop of water..."

On Wednesday, a farmer, Guruswamy, had committed suicide by jumping into the Kabini reservoir. Though the body was recovered on Thursday, relatives and farmer associations refused to cremate it unless the government stopped releasing water.

They also accused the police of non-cooperation in efforts to rescue Guruswamy.

The government had announced a compensation of Rs 100,000 for the next of kin of Guruswamy, but the farmers were not happy. They demanded Rs 500,000 and free education to Guruswamy's children.

Meanwhile, former prime minister and the Janata Dal (Secular) leader Deve Gowda said he would meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to discuss the Cauvery issue.

He termed Guruswamy's death unfortunate and said the state government was caught between law and the aspirations of the people.

"We will extend all our support to the government in this issue to protect our farmers' rights," he said.

Cauvery Water Dispute: The Complete Coverage

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