Farmer groups, trade unions and pro-Kannada organisations have come together to call for a Bengaluru bandh from 6 am to 6 pm on September 26 to demand that the Karnataka government refrain from releasing water from the Cauvery river to Tamil Nadu.
"More than 150 organisations have come together to decide we will be going ahead with the protest on September 26. This is over the important issue of drinking water woes of Bengaluru and we believe there should be a large-scale bandh to ensure Cauvery water is not released," Kurubara Shanthakumar, a prominent farmer leader said. He was speaking at the sidelines of a discussion held in Freedom Park in Bengaluru where the call for the bandh was made.
"We want the Cauvery water flow (to Tamil Nadu) blocked. We want all the farmer, Dalit, civil society organisations to come together for the bandh because that is the only way to make the people in power take notice," Praveen Shetty, of the pro-Kannada organisation Karnataka Rakshana Vedike said.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) services are expected to be affected as the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)-backed staff have decided to participate in the bandh called on September 26.
Further discussions are set to be held on Monday about the bandh called on September 26 with farmer groups and pro-Kannada organisations hoping that restaurants and shops in Bengaluru will also follow suit and raise the demand over the release of Cauvery water.
The opposition BJP is supporting the bandh while the state government is yet to respond to the calls for a bandh.