BJP to boycott Cauvery all-party meeting unless State takes a stand against water release: Vijayendra

Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra accused Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of holding an all-party meeting on the Cauvery water dispute without first taking a firm stance against releasing water to Tamil Nadu. At a protest outside the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir, Vijayendra claimed Karnataka had already released around 3.5 tmc ft of water before Tamil Nadu formally requested it.

He questioned the timing of the meeting, which occurred after the Cauvery Water Management Authority directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day for 15 days. Vijayendra accused the meeting of being more about safeguarding Shivakumar's political position than addressing farmers' interests. He demanded that Shivakumar publicly declare his commitment to not releasing water to Tamil Nadu.

The BJP leader also criticized the Congress government for mishandling the Cauvery issue and overlooking farmers' concerns since coming into power.