A group of Tamil Nadu farmers in Tiruchirappalli on Tuesday protested against the Karnataka government by holding dead rats in their mouths and demanding the release of Cauvery Water from Karnataka to their state.
The protest was led by the President of the National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers’ Association Tamil Nadu unit, Ayyakannu.
In a video shared by the news agency ANI on X, the farmers were seen holding dead rodents in their mouths. The demonstration aimed to highlight their determination to gain access to Cauvery water as a gesture to show that if river water is not released by Karnataka, then the farmers will be forced to eat rat meat to survive.
The video has already garnered over 132K views on social media platforms, drawing significant public attention to the ongoing dispute.
These unconventional protest methods are not new for Tamil Nadu farmers, who have, in the past, adopted various attention-grabbing tactics to voice their grievances against the central government.
These actions have included staging suicides, organising mock funerals of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, shaving off half their facial hair, public demonstrations, symbolic acts of eating on the streets, and even wearing skulls as symbols of their plight.
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Cauvery water dispute
The dispute over the Cauvery River’s waters has persisted for decades, originating in 1974 when Karnataka, as the upper riparian state, began diverting water without Tamil Nadu’s consent.
The issue recently flared following an order from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) directing Karnataka to release 5000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.