Vatal Nagaraj on Rajanikant: ‘If he is really concerned about K’taka, let him talk to TN govt’

BENGALURU: Pro-Kannada activist and Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha leader Vatal Nagaraj has called for a Karnataka bandh on Friday and pro-Kannada outfits and other associations including industries and transport unions have extended their support across Karnataka. The bandh has been called over release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Vatal Nagaraj demanded that actors and artists from the film industry should participate in the bandh on Friday and participate in the protest to be held in front of Town Hall in Bengaluru. “Actor Rajanikanth should not come to Karnataka if he supports the Cauvery protest in Tamil Nadu. We will boycott him and his films. This is just a warning”, Nagaraj challenged superstar Rajanikanth. “If he really has concern about our state, let him talk about the Cauvery issue with the Tamil Nadu government”, he said.

Expressing his anger at the state government, he said it shouldn’t play politics with the issue. “We are not opposing the CM personally. We have respect for Siddaramaiah”, Nagaraj said. “It doesn’t matter if you lose power for Cauvery water, but don’t release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu”, Nagaraj appealed to Siddaramaiah.

“If the government does not stop water release, then the pro-Kannada organisations will continue protests. We will call for strikes and block the highways, he warned. “We will hold a jail bharo movement. Lakhs of people are ready to go to jail”, he said.

The former MLA also said Deputy CM D K Shivkumar does not know what a protest is. “He should take our words seriously”, Vatal added. “If they try to curb the protest on Friday, we will hold a statewide protest demanding Shivakumar’s resignation”, Vatal Nagaraj warned.