Date:29/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/29/stories/2005072909790500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Cauvery: Vatal stages walkout

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The President of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha member, Vatal Nagaraj, on Thursday staged a walkout and waved a black flag in the Legislative Assembly against what the member termed the pressure tactics of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the release of Cauvery water.

Mr. Nagaraj said Karnataka should not yield to such pressure and the people were aware that the two Dravidian political parties in Tamil Nadu were attempting to derive political mileage by focusing on the Cauvery waters.

Karnataka had been releasing four tmcft of water a day from the Kabini reservoir and had fulfilled its obligations to Tamil Nadu for the month of July.

Mr. Nagaraj said that the State Government should not buckle under pressure from Tamil Nadu.

The State Government had to first attend to the interests of the local farmers, he said.