Protect Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu: Siddaramaiah to Jayalalithaa

BENGALURU: Expressing concern over “incidents of violence” against Kannada-speaking people, their vehicles and property in Tamil Nadu, CM Siddaramaiah on Monday asked his Tamil Nadu counterpart J. Jayalalithaa, to take steps to ensure safety of these people living in the neighbouring state.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Siddaramaiah said he would speak with Union home minister Rajnath Singh, if necessary, about incidents in which Kannadigas were targeted.  “Already, chief secretary, Aravind Jadhav and Director General of Police Omprakash have initiated dialogue process with their Tamil Nadu counterparts and asked them to ensure stern action against the culprits, and ensure that such incidents do not recur,” he said. He said the state government had also assured TN that similar steps would be initiated to ensure safety of Tamil speaking people and also their property, while seeking measures to protect the interests of Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu.

Mr Siddaramaiah appealed to the media “not to glorify” certain incidents relating to “sensitive” issues and exercise restraint in reporting them. The missive came following reports that suspected pro-Tamil protesters attacked and damaged a hotel run by an entrepreneur of Karnataka in Chennai. Seven tourist vehicles bearing Karnataka registration number plates, parked at a temple in Rameswaram, were damaged allegedly by activists of various outfits including Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam.

On the incident in which a 22-year-old Tamil engineering student was allegedly beaten by a group of people here for posting “derogatory” remarks on social media against Kannada film actors, the CM maintained that the case was under investigation. “It has also come to my notice that an incident involving a youth by name Santosh in Bengaluru, has been blown out of proportion by media channels in TN , and this is likely to incite passion and violence against Kannada speaking people.” He said the police have filed a case in the incident involving Santosh.

Riots expose lack of preparedness of government, police
Nearly 15 years after the city witnessed the infamous Cauvery riots,  violence on the same issue rocked Bengaluru on Monday after the SC ordered state to continue releasing water to TN.

In 1991, violence broke out while the state under the leadership of late S. Bangarappa was protesting against the Tribunal’s order to release water to TN . On Monday, Karnataka was disappointed with the SC  order to continue releasing 10000 cusecs of water for eight more days.  A few hours after the verdict, hooligans took over the city leading to burning of over 65 vehicles. The episode exposed the lack of preparedness of police and the failure of the govt in handling the situation. Sources in the police intelligence wing claimed they had anticipated a violent reaction and therefore they had maintained a vigil in Tamil-dominated areas. Interestingly, Tamil dominated areas in Bengaluru north-east remained calm and safe while Monday’s violence happened in the western and southern parts of the city.  The pattern of hooliganism was visible by noon: the agitators started identifying TN buses and other vehicles and set them on fire. But, police did not react swiftly in south Bengaluru which remained the epicentre ofviolence. It was not that the city could not do anything positive for Tamilians. When B.S. Yeddyurappa was CM, Karnataka, which had shelved the idea of unveiling the statue of poet Thiruvalluvar, took a bold step to go ahead with his plan. He managed the event without any untoward incident.  Police soures said the city police had crushed these Kannada elements which reared their head recently. After the SC’s first ruling on Sept. 5, the government took some steps. Last Friday when the state observed a bandh, the government threw its weight behind these Kannada organisations. The fact that the state observed four bandhs in eight weeks speaks volumes of the government’s handling of the law and order situation, a retired police officer said.

CM calls all-party meet
Amid growing tension over the Cauvery river dispute, Chief Minister, Siddarmaiah has convened a senior leaders meeting on Tuesday as well as an emergency Cabinet meeting to chalk out strategies to tackle the crisis.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior leader of the Congress on the condition of anonymity said, “This spells big trouble for the party’s bid to come back to power after the 2018 Assembly polls. We need to come out with strategies to tackle this problem before it gets completely out of hand. As of now, the biggest relief is that former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda is backing the state government’s decision to release water to Tamil Nadu.”

The source added that it would be difficult for any party to tackle this kind of emotional situation. “Cauvery has been an emotional issue for many decades, we will have wait for the dust to settle down, then we can talk about it. At present, we have to ensure that none of our leaders make mistakes by issuing statements that would further vitiate the atmosphere,” the source added.