Mandya, July 13 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Monday warned that the BJP would lay siege to the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir if the Karnataka government failed to release water for standing crops in the Cauvery basin within the next three days.

Ashoka, who visited drought-hit sugarcane fields in Malavalli and nearby villages in Mandya district, interacted with farmers and assessed crop damage caused by the shortage of irrigation water. Addressing reporters later, he accused the Karnataka government of ignoring the plight of farmers while remaining preoccupied with cabinet expansion.

He urged the state government to immediately convene an all-party meeting on the Cauvery water-sharing issue and declare a drought in the affected regions.

According to Ashoka, Karnataka must formulate a united strategy to protect the interests of its farmers, especially when neighbouring Tamil Nadu has been aggressively pursuing its claims through legal channels.

He said the government should first discuss the drought situation and the Cauvery issue rather than focusing on political matters, and added that if water is not released from KRS within three days, the BJP will lay siege to the reservoir to ensure water is released for farmers.

Ashoka argued that the government should release water at least once to save standing sugarcane crops. He recalled that in previous years, water had been released for crops even when the storage level in KRS was around 86 feet.

He said that even if water is not provided for new cultivation, existing crops must be protected, and farmers who have suffered crop losses should also be compensated, adding that declaring a drought is essential so that relief measures, such as subsidies for fodder and drinking water, can be extended.

The BJP leader also criticised the state leadership, alleging that ministers and ruling-party legislators were more focused on securing ministerial positions than on addressing farmers’ concerns.

He said discussions should not be limited to members of Congress and urged the government to consult MLAs from all political parties before making decisions on the Cauvery issue.

–IANS

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