Hassan district unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) party staged a protest in Hassan on Monday, August 28, opposing the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and demanding that the State government declare the entire district as drought-hit.
The party workers, under the leadership of Lok Sabha member Prajwal Revanna, took a protest march from Hemavath Statue Circle to the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Addressing the protesters, Mr. Prajwal Revanna said the State government had failed to respond to the woes of farmers during the drought. The people had lost hope in the government within months of its coming to power. “The State government is acting in favour of Tamil Nadu. An all-party meeting was convened only after releasing water to the neighbouring State,” he said.
The party’s district president, K.S. Lingesh, said the Congress came to power by making false promises to the people. “During the election campaign, they assured free power up to 200 units to all. However, after winning the election, they are imposing conditions. On the other hand, development work has been hit badly,” he said.
H.P. Swaroop, Hassan MLA, said that rural people were not getting power supply even for an hour a day. “The money meant for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has been diverted. This is an injustice done to the downtrodden sections,” he said.
Former Minister H.K. Kumaraswamy came down heavily on the government for arresting activists who staged protests condemning the death of a woman in an elephant attack.
