Kannada protagonist Vatal Nagaraj has threatened to launch an agitation if actor-turned-politician Rajnikanth enters Karnataka.
Mr. Vatal Nagaraj’s stand comes in the wake of Chief Minister designate H.D. Kumaraswamy’s invitation to the actor to visit Karnataka and see the poor storage levels in the reservoirs and the scarcity of water faced by farmers in the State.
Mr. Rajnikanth, who had urged Karnataka to release water, had so far made no statement on visiting the State.
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Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Monday, Mr. Vatal Nagaraj said Mr. Rajnikanth has started making such statements on the water issue after entering politics. Asked why the actor should not enter Karnataka, the Kannada protagonist said Rajnikanth was “an anti-Kannada and pro-Tamil agent”. “He should not even enter Karnataka for film shooting.”
Mr. Vatal Nagaraj opposed the constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Authority, which he said was “dangerous” for Karnataka and “favourable” for Tamil Nadu. “Karnataka will lose all the right it had over release of water from the reservoirs to the Authority. We will not be able to release even drinking water to Bengaluru and Mysuru”, he warned.