BJP's Bellad accuses Karnataka govt of failing farmers on Cauvery water dispute

BJP leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad has accused the Karnataka government and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of failing to adequately protect the state's interests in the long-running Cauvery water dispute.

Bellad argued that Karnataka should look to Tamil Nadu as a model for how to defend both its allocated share of Cauvery water and the welfare of its farming communities during periods of distress.

The remarks represent a sharp criticism of the ruling administration's handling of one of southern India's most contentious and politically sensitive water-sharing conflicts, with Bellad suggesting the government has fallen short in standing up for the state's agricultural sector.