Karnataka - Bundh, Rioting and Water dispute - My take.

I saw these news items in yesterday’s Navhind Times. I was at Bengaluru on Monday the twelfth of September and was scheduled to board the flight to US at 3 am on 13th. We planned to start around ten at night and were busy with the preparations when we heard about the disturbances in various parts of the city. I was anxious but thought that things would settle down by night.I got worried when the taxi driver who arrived at eight in the night said that the roads were still blocked at many places and I found him hesitant to start to the airport. But the good fellow could not bring himself to leave me hanging there and we did start. He drove gingerly the first few kilometers, avoiding smoking debris of wood and tyres and there were no difficulties once we reached the major roads.We arrived at the airport well in time. I am happy that we made it ultimately.

Now, what bothers me is not that such disturbances have become commonplace, but the reaction that I got from some of my relatives and friends, the so called educated class. I am of the opinion that whatever be the provocation, an act of rioting or causing public disturbance of any kind, is unpardonable. Which is what most of the bundhs are. But I did not find such a feeling in many of the so called educated or civilised class. Many of them expressed the feeling that “You see this is what happens if the supreme court gives in to the greediness of tamil nadu”  meaning they deprived us of our drinking water and let them face it now. They did not overtly express that it was very much justified. They were blaming the supreme court and they felt that burning TN buses, destroying property of Tamils and causing public disturbance as a mark of retaliation was OK. This temperament is what frightens me.

Coming to the water disputes, as a layman depending on newspapers for the news, I see that right now karnataka has two river water disputes. One with Goa regarding Madei river and the other with TN regarding Kaveri. Last month the water tribunal gave an interim verdict against karnataka in the Madei river dispute. So Karnataka has approached the supreme court asking for relief from the tribunal’s verdict. The same supreme court, which Karnataka feels is the saviour in the Madei dispute, has asked Karnataka to release water to TN and Karnataka is claiming that the supreme court is wrong! And to express this sentiment strongly, the people of Karnataka with the tacit support from the government are destroying their own resources and reputation! God save my home state and home town.