Ambareesh joins Cauvery protests

Mandya, Karnataka, Feb 23 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting M H Ambareesh today launched a parallel agitation against the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, urging the Karnataka Government to take the lead in resolving the issue.

Addressing a rally here after failing to convince the agitation leaders to join him, he said the widespread protests by the Cauvery basin farmers and pro-Kannada organisations would not yield any result, unless concrete steps were taken by the State Government on the issue.

Earlier, he made a vain bid to persuade Cauvery Hitharakshana Samithi leader and former MP G Made Gowda to join the rally organised by him, with Mr Gowda spurning the offer to avoid political colour to the 16-year-old agitation to safeguard the Cauvery basin farmers.

The Mandya MP, who had resigned from the Union Council of Ministers and his parliamentary membership, said ''when Cauvery basin farmers are suffering injustice meted out to them by the award and taking to the streets, how can I sit in Delhi and fight for justice. Hence, I have decided to resign.'' However, the actor-turned-politician's resignation was yet to be accepted as it was not in the right format.

Mr Ambareesh called upon the agitators to protest in a peaceful manner and not to involve in any violence. He would launch the agitation in all the districts of the State in the coming days.

He alleged that the State Government had stopped bus services between Bangalore and Mysore to stop people from attending his public meeting.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who also spoke on the occasion, said the Cauvery issue should not be politicised.

Meanwhile, agitations continued in the basin districts of Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar. However, no untoward incident was reported.

UNI