With the Supreme Court deferring hearing of the contempt petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government against Karnataka to October 19, the Mandya Zilla Raitha Hitharakahsana Samiti has temporarily suspended its “continuous protest” demonstration against the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu here on Friday.
The samiti has been staging protests against releasing water to the neighbouring State near Sir M. Visvesvaraya statue off the Bangalore-Mysore highway near Kallahalli here for the past 29 days.
Tamil Nadu had filed the contempt petition against the Karnataka government for stopping water since October 8 midnight. However, on Friday, the Supreme Court adjourned further hearing on the plea to October 19.
“Hence, we have decided to stop the stir till October 19,” samiti member and former minister M.S. Atmananda told The Hindu here on Friday.
Threat
However Mr. Atmananda threatened to intensify the agitation if the State government released water from October 16 to comply with the Cauvery Monitoring Committee’s (CMC) order.
“We held a meeting under the leadership of samiti president G. Made Gowda here to discuss about the contempt plea,” he said.
According to Mr. Atmananda, it was decided in the meeting to stop protest demonstrations, rasta rokos, stopping of trains and other kinds of protests till October 19.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gowda told farmers, activists, students and employees in the Cauvery basin to strengthen the samiti by staging protest “in case the government releases water from State reservoirs from October 16”.
He urged the Chief Minister to disclose his stand over complying with the CRA and CMC’s orders.
Protests continue
Meanwhile, even after the samiti announced suspension of protests, members of various organisations staged protest near Sir MV statue on Friday.
More than 1,500 students from various colleges, mainly PES College of Engineering, participated in the protests.
Members of minority associations, mechanics association and residents of various villages took out protest rallies here on Friday.
