‘We are not against farmers’: Minister Cheluvarayaswamy assures govt support amid Cauvery water issue

BENGALURU: Water Resources Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy on Wednesday said the state government was aware of the concerns of farmers in Mandya and the Cauvery belt over the river water issue, and urged them to wait for the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) order.

Responding to protests by farmers in Mandya and other parts of the Cauvery belt, Cheluvarayaswamy said the government was not against the farmers and acknowledged their problems. He also said Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was aware of the issue and was scheduled to travel to Delhi, while also expected to meet his Tamil Nadu counterpart in Chennai.

Speaking to reporters, he said, “I know the farmers of Mandya and the Cauvery basin are protesting, but we have to wait for the CWMA order. We are not against the farmers. We know the problems of the farmers of Mandya and other places. Chief Minister is also very much aware as he also comes from the same belt. Today, the chief minister is going to Delhi and he is also expected to meet the CM of Tamil Nadu in Chennai. Let’s hope for the best”.

Bengaluru | Karnataka Minister N. Chaluvaraya Swamy says, “I know the Farmers of Mandya and Kaveri belt are protesting, but we have to wait for the CW order. We are not against the wheels of the farmers. We know the problems of the farmers of Mandya and other places. Chief… pic.twitter.com/gqjvpuRoJ9

— ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2026

Cheluvarayaswamy also hit out at former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy over his remarks concerning Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, calling the statement “shameful” and “obnoxious”. Reacting to Kumaraswamy’s remarks, Cheluvarayaswamy said that a person who had served twice as Chief Minister and had also been a Union Minister should not make such derogatory statements.

“It is a shameful statement by a person like Kumaraswamy. He was the Chief Minister of Karnataka and comes from such a big family making statements in such a way is very shameful. It is Sonia Gandhi or anybody she’s married to Indian and she has become Indian who Mary to other place they will belong to that place being a chief minister for two times and union minister, making such derogatory statement is obnoxious”. (ANI)