Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 31: The Karnataka government has postponed the proposed August 3 meeting in Bengaluru between the Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and his Tamil Nadu counterpart C Joseph Vijay on the Mekedatu project, citing the tense atmosphere following the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) latest order directing Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu, as the theatrical run of Thalapathy Vijay’s “Jana Nayagan” hit a roadblock in Karnataka where theatres have stopped screening the film amid the ongoing Cauvery water dispute.
“The atmosphere is not right at this point of time. I’m appealing to him to let us postpone the visit for some time because we should have a very cordial atmosphere,” Shivakumar said on Friday. He said the Tamil Nadu government reached out to the Karnataka chief secretary to hold a meeting on various issues between the two states. It was scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on August 3.
Several theatres in Karnataka removed Vijay’s posters and suspended screenings of the film as a precaution. Many theatres across the state have cancelled ‘Jana Nayagan‘ shows amid protests by farmers and pro-Kannada organisations. There have been widespread protests in Karnataka over the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
‘Jana Nayagan‘, which was released on July 23, had opened in around 125 to 150 theatres across Karnataka, including more than 75 single-screen theatres and nearly 50 multiplex screens. As the Cauvery protests gathered momentum, several theatre owners voluntarily suspended screenings to avoid any law and order issues. Staff at some theatres also removed Vijay’s posters and banners from the premises.
At Bengaluru’s Urvashi Theatre, screenings of ‘Jana Nayagan‘ were halted following a police advisory. Theatre staff removed the film’s posters and cut-outs, and the scheduled shows were replaced with the Kannada film ‘Karavali’. Police personnel have been deployed outside Urvashi Theatre as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incidents while the Cauvery protests continue across Karnataka.
In Mandya, pro-Kannada activists removed promotional banners of ‘Jana Nayagan‘ amid escalating tensions over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute. The action followed Tamil Nadu’s demand for Cauvery water release, as protests continue across Karnataka over the issue. The Karnataka Film Chamber has also called for a meeting over the cancellations.
On Thursday Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) rejected Karnataka’s appeal against Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) order and directed it to release water at the rate of 3,500 cusecs daily to Tamil Nadu from July 29 for the next 15 days.
Shivakumar told reporters the meeting would be held at a later date in a “cool, calm and cordial atmosphere” adding that both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should benefit. “I want both the states to benefit from it. I don’t want any heartburns. Tamil Nadu has its farmers and Karnataka has its farmers. We are all in one country,” Shivakumar said.
Defending the Mekedatu project, Shivakumar said the balancing reservoir would benefit Tamil Nadu as well. “Mekedatu is more beneficial to Tamil Nadu than to us, except for power generation. We are bound to implement the Supreme Court’s order and act according to the law,” he said.
On Karnataka’s stand after the Cauvery authority’s order, Shivakumar said the government would first consult Opposition leaders and seek legal advice before deciding its next course of action. “I have to take the Opposition leaders into confidence, seek legal advice, and then take a call,” he said.
Appealing against the proposed bandh, Shivakumar asked organisations not to inconvenience the public. “Bandhs will not solve the problem. Let us not do anything that affects the common man’s interests,” he said.
Citing the order, Mr Shivakumar said, “I feel that the atmosphere is not right at this point of time. I am appealing to him (Mr Vijay) to postpone the visit for some time because we should have a very cordial atmosphere. I want both States to benefit from it,” he said. “I do not want any hard feelings between the two of us… It all depends upon the rain god,” he said.
Chairing a meeting to review the Cauvery water situation in the State, Mr Shivakumar said, “It is my duty to protect the interests of the State. As soon as the order came, we appealed against it. (Deputy CM) Dr Parameshwar and I even met with the MPs and Ministers in Delhi,” he said,
“Tamil Nadu had requested 9.94 tmcft of water to be released as part of the distress formula. However, the CWRC ordered us to give half that quantum at 4.5 tmcft. With the CWMA upholding that order, I have now invited all Karnataka leaders for an all-party meeting to be held on August 2 (Sunday),” he Chief Minister added.
Kannada organisations and farmers opposed the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, arguing that Karnataka itself is facing a water shortage and that releasing water would adversely affect the state’s farmers.
Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Karti Chidambaram has called for the full implementation of the Cauvery Board’s order. “We are very clear there is a Cauvery Management Board and whatever the management board decides has to be implemented. That is our position. We are very clear in Tamil Nadu that the arrangement, agreement, and verdict of the Cauvery Management Board must be implemented in total,” he said.
Mr Shivakumar noted that Karnataka had received good rainfall over the last three years, which had helped it meet its water-sharing obligations comfortably. “Over the last three years, we have been fortunate to receive very good rainfall. In fact, last year witnessed exceptionally heavy rains of a historic scale. We performed the Cauvery Puja at the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam along with our senior leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. I also participated in the Cauvery Aarti,” Shivakumar said.
He said the good rainfall had benefited both people and agriculture, and far more water had flowed to Tamil Nadu than required. “People were happy, the rainfall was good, and agriculture also benefited. Instead of releasing around 177 TMC of water, nearly 400 TMC flowed to Tamil Nadu. We could not hold back that water; it had to be released because of the prevailing circumstances. Tamil Nadu was also satisfied, and a significant quantity of water even flowed into the sea,” he said.
Meanwhile, making a strong pitch for Karnataka’s long-pending Mekedatu balancing reservoir project across the Cauvery in Kanakapura, his home town, Shivakumar asserted that the project would actually benefit Tamil Nadu more than Karnataka. “In my view, the Mekedatu project will benefit Tamil Nadu even more than Karnataka. The only direct benefit Karnataka will derive is the generation of about 400 MW of hydropower,” he said.
The Centre has returned the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-Drinking Water Project, seeking a revised DPR in compliance with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and extant Central Water Commission guidelines.
The Chief Minister said the proposed 66 TMC reservoir was only a balancing reservoir and could not be used to expand irrigation in Karnataka. “At no point can the water stored in the 66 TMC balancing reservoir be utilised for any new irrigation project in Karnataka. It is only a balancing reservoir. We have no authority to use that water for irrigation,” he said. Shivakumar said Karnataka was duty-bound to comply with Supreme Court orders.
The Karnataka Deputy CM noted that there were clear Supreme Court directives requiring all states to abide by the decisions of the CWRA and CWMA, leaving Karnataka with no other option.
Representatives of various Kannada organisations held a meeting on Friday regarding the Cauvery water dispute. Vatal Nagaraj, leader of the Kannada Okkuta and a prominent activist, said, ‘We have called for a Karnataka Bandh on August 13, which is supported by more than 1,600 Kannada organisations and over 1,000 other groups across the state. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and several other associations have also extended their support to the bandh. We have only one demand: Cauvery water must not be released to Tamil Nadu under any circumstances.
“According to our information, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is visiting Bengaluru on August 3. We do not want his visit to be centred on demands for Cauvery water. He is welcome if he is coming to meet the Chief Minister and discuss other issues. However, if he comes to demand Cauvery water, we will oppose his visit and block Bengaluru airport.’
It was predicted early on that Vijay’s latest film, Jana Nayagan, would dominate the global box office, and that is exactly what is happening now. The film has been raking in massive revenue and garnering widespread acclaim. Jana Nayagan achieved a global business of Rs 10 crore on Wednesday, a feat considered truly impressive. With this, the film’s total worldwide collection has now surpassed Rs 255 crore.