Bengaluru, 12 August

The Federation of Kannada organisations is divided on the call for a strike on Thursday against the CWMA direction to release 12,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.

While the federation President Vatal Nagaraj is adamant, many other organisations associated with the federation have backed off, saying that they would not support ‘Bandh’, though they offered “moral support”.

"We are not in a position to support the bandh", Praveen Shetty, who heads one of the factions of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, told reporters.

According to sources in the state transport department, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees’ association have not provided support to the bandh. Private bus associations, transporters and autorickshaw associations too have distanced themselves from the bandh. Similarly, street vendors will also function as usual because everyone is only extending moral support. Government and the private schools will also function the same way.

However, Raitha Hitarakshana Samithi and a few other farmers’ associations have extended their support to Bandh. Sunanda of Raitha Hitarakshana Samithi said her organisation supports the strike because injustice has been meted out to Karnataka.