Kannada outfits vow to counter Tamil Nadu bandh on April 5

Bengaluru: Tamil Nadu border at Attibele on April 5 to counter a bandh called in the neighbouring state over the Cauvery river water issue. President of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday staged a dharna along with members of the federation, expressing his displeasure over the bandh in Tamil Nadu, which has been called by DMK chief Stalin. 

During the dharna, Vatal said that the Cauvery Management Board is against the interests and sentiments of Karnataka. The protesters burnt an effigy and demanded that the union government should not form the committee. Tamil film stars, like Rajanikanth and Kamal Haasan, have spoken in favour of forming the committee, and their movies should be banned in Karnataka, the protesters said. In Tamil Nadu, DMK-led opposition parties on Sunday called for a state-wide shutdown on April 5 seeking constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) by the Centre. 

DMK working president M.K. Stalin, after a meeting with friendly opposition parties, sought the support of all sections of society, including farmers and traders, for the bandh. Tamil Nadu Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar, VCK chief Thirumavalavan, state secretaries of the CPI (M) and the CPI K Balakrishnan and R Mutharasan, respectively, were among the leaders who took part in the meeting. A "Cauvery Rights Retrieval Yatra," will be held following the bandh, the DMK leader said.