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Bengaluru, Five activists were arrested while trying to stage a protest inside the <keyword id="404712" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru-airport" source="Orion">Bengaluru airport</keyword> on Friday, and the authorities cancelled the departure and arrival of 44 flights in view of the <keyword id="535643" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka-bandh" source="Orion">Karnataka bandh</keyword> called by pro-Kannada organisations over the Cauvery water issue The flights scheduled to fly to metro cities New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and other destinations have been cancelled, sources confirmed. According to sources, the activists had purchased a ticket for the Indigo 7731 flight and entered the premises of the Bengaluru airport at 9.50 a.m. They were planning to stage a protest near the flight. The authorities took them into custody as they were preparing to stage the protest. The protesters were taken into custody and handed over to the police. The official statement in this regard is yet to be made by the police department. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy urged the state government to immediately release the Kannada activists taken into custody or arrested while staging protests over the Cauvery issue. "The whole state has responded well to the <keyword id="6354780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="karnataka" source="Orion">Karnataka</keyword> bandh call. All should be united when it comes to the interests of the state. The integrity and unity of the state should be a warning bell to the neighbouring states," he stated without taking the name of Tamil Nadu."The feelings of Kannada people should not be trampled upon," he said. "We extend total support to the bandh from JD(S). The agitation for Cauvery has become inevitable under the present circumstances. The government in Karnataka is practicing appeasement politics. The politics should not be carried over the Cauvery issue. Tamil Nadu is receiving good rainfall and predictions of rain are also positive. Still, the quarrel is made for water. The state government in Karnataka is not taking a stand for the people," Kumaraswamy stated. The agitators ridiculed and torched the effigies of 28 MPs from Karnataka for not speaking for the state over the Cauvery issue. Among the 28 MLAs, 25 are from BJP, one each from JD(S) and Congress. Another is an independent candidate presently supporting the BJP.

Karnataka bandh: 44 flights cancelled, five activists arrested for trying to stage protest inside Bengaluru airport

Several Bengaluru-based companies advised employees to work from home on Tuesday as the protests against Supreme Court order on the sharing of Cauvery waters with Tamil Nadu went out of hand in India’s Silicon Valley. 
 Companies like <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> and <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> said their operations had been affected majorly by the protests in the IT hub. While, for Amazon, the delivery of the products got temporarily impacted, Flipkart said the safety of their delivery staff is priority and that they will mitigate all customer impact by keeping them informed about expected delays. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Infosys-TCS-declare-one-day-off-due-to-intense-protests-over-Cauvery-dispute/articleshow/54306702.cms">Meanwhile, Indian IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Cognizant were also hit by the protests. They declared a day’s off on Monday as the violence escalated. </a> 
 Industry body Assocham revealed that Karnataka, especially <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>, is estimated to have suffered losses worth Rs. 22,000 to 25,000 crore as a result of the Cauvery water row. 
 
Protesters were seen vandalizing shops, and setting Tamil Nadu registered buses and trucks on fire. The situation turned grave on the ground when two persons were killed recently during the protests.

Bengaluru Protests: Cauvery violence hits Amazon, Flipkart; IT companies left worried

Indian IT companies such as <keyword id="6357585" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Consultancy-Services">Tata Consultancy Services</keyword> (<keyword id="6357150" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="TCS">TCS</keyword>), Infosys and <keyword id="28721" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cognizant">Cognizant</keyword> are hit by protests on <keyword id="460689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cauvery-water-dispute">Cauvery water dispute</keyword> in Bengaluru. 
 
The companies have declared one-day off as employees are feeling unsafe due to escalated protests and agitators burning down public transport. 
 
"They have been stopping our buses and employees are feeling unsafe. We had to declare a holiday just for safety. These are calls being taken on a day-to-day basis," an IT executive from Cognizant told ET. 
 
Protests escalated after the Supreme Court ordered Karnataka to release water from Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery water dispute has been a bone of contention between the two states.

Infosys, TCS declare one-day off as Bengaluru burns over Cauvery dispute

A 22-year-old woman who cops are suspecting may have instigated the arson attack on 42 buses of a Tamil Nadu-based operator in Bengaluru last week, was allegedly offered Rs 100 and a plate of biryani to join the Cauvery water-sharing protests. 
 
C Bhagya emerged in the CCTV footage from the yard where the buses were parked as well as in the mobile phone videos filmed by the crew. 
 
Bhagya stays with her parents in Girinagar, close to the KPN garage, and is a daily wager. Her mother Yellamma revealed that her daughter had just returned home around noon (on September 12) when some men known to her came over and asked her to join the protests. “They promised to give her a plate of mutton biryani and Rs 100 at the end of the day,” she said. 
 
Meanwhile, police sources said the footage from the arson site also shows other women, but it is not clear if they played an active role in the vandalism. For Bhagya, they are almost certain. She is the only woman among the 400-odd people arrested in connection with the September 12 violence in Bengaluru. 
 
Bhagya is currently in police custody for further questioning.

When Bengaluru protested over Cauvery water, this woman set 42 buses on fire just for a plate of mutton biryani and Rs 100

(Image: BCCL) 
 <keyword id="6354780" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Karnataka">Karnataka</keyword> is going through a rough phase. There has been curfew, deaths, protests and crores of rupees loss of public property over last 24 hours. 
 
It’s been more than hundred years and yet the distribution of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Drought-Series-Nearly-3-1-crore-people-in-Karnataka-are-hit-by-the-drought-and-migration-is-intensifying/articleshow/51979749.cms">Cauvery River’s</a> water is in a mess. Given the present situations, it’s far from getting resolved. It’s not the first time that two states are fighting over a river. The history has seen it all. The war of water between <keyword id="6354759" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bangladesh">Bangladesh</keyword> and <keyword id="6357783" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="West-Bengal">West Bengal</keyword> over Farakka barrage and now the <keyword id="763269" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Teesta-river">Teesta River</keyword> and the Punjab- <keyword id="41646" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Haryana">Haryana</keyword> conflict over Sutlej-Yamuna link are similar in nature as the <keyword id="6354543" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cauvery">Cauvery</keyword> issue.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Drought-Series-Nearly-3-1-crore-people-in-Karnataka-are-hit-by-the-drought-and-migration-is-intensifying/articleshow/51979749.cms"> Agriculture</a> of both Karnataka and <keyword id="20154" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> are dependent on the river that originates at <keyword id="65856" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kodagu">Kodagu</keyword> in Karnataka and flows for 765 km before meeting the <keyword id="55869" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bay-of-Bengal">Bay of Bengal</keyword> in Tamil Nadu. The strategic course that the river takes during its flow has made it a villain for many years on the distribution of water issue. 
 
Current scenario If Karnataka decides to distribute water to Tamil Nadu as per their demand, the former wont have much left. According to the data provided by <keyword id="6357283" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Water-Commission">Central Water Commission</keyword> (<keyword id="54702" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="CWC">CWC</keyword>), Karnataka’s reservoirs this year were 30% below the normal water level compared to Tamil Nadu’s shortage of 49%. 
 The main reservoirs in the two states’ catchment areas include <keyword id="864488" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Krishna-Raja-Sagara">Krishna Raja Sagara</keyword> dam in <keyword id="6355147" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mandya">Mandya</keyword> district, <keyword id="891106" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kabini">Kabini</keyword> in Mysore, Harangi in Kodagu and <keyword id="279522" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hemavathi">Hemavathi</keyword> in Hassan; Mettur dam in <keyword id="6357470" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Salem">Salem</keyword> and <keyword id="3003304" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhavanisagar-dam">Bhavanisagar Dam</keyword> in Erode. All these reservoirs have reportedly 46% less water than normal and 27% lesser water than last year. In short, the situation is quite grim for both states, as per the CWC report. 
 
A third party needs to intervene 
No matter how much these two states fight, there would be no solid solution ever. There needs to be a third party intervention to resolve this issue. A third party can solve things like nobody else. A good example of third party intervention can be the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan. This was brokered by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Drought-Series-Nearly-3-1-crore-people-in-Karnataka-are-hit-by-the-drought-and-migration-is-intensifying/articleshow/51979749.cms">World Bank</a>, which was signed on September 19, 1960 by Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="6360386" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jawaharlal-Nehru">Jawaharlal Nehru</keyword> and President of Pakistan <keyword id="27721" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ayub-khan">Ayub Khan</keyword>. 
 
Since the ratification of the treaty in 1960, India and Pakistan have not engaged in any water wars. Most disagreements and disputes have been settled via legal procedures, provided for within the framework of the treaty. The treaty is considered to be one of the most successful water-sharing endeavours in the world today even though analysts acknowledge the need to update certain technical specifications and expand the scope of the document to include climate change. As per the provisions in the treaty, India can use only 20% of the total water carried by the Indus River. 
 
Weapon of politics 
As things get murkier the in Karnataka, it’s a hint that the issue wouldn’t get settled as easily as expected. When a crisis becomes a weapon of politics, it is no longer an issue to be solved. Rather it becomes more of a chance for the political parties to milk the situation. In this political game, the crisis has surpassed the actual need of water, the need of the agriculture and become a war of egos between the two states. It’s a motive of victory than a solution that matters to the common people caught in the crossfire. The threat of not sharing a drop of water would gain more brownies for the parties in both the states rather than finding a lighted avenue to the dead end. 
 
It’s a murderous rage 
If media reports are to be believed, Tamil channels and movies have been unofficially banned in Karnataka. This gives proof to the fact that the fight over Cauvery’s water has actually delineated to become a war between two states. Even if the situation can be solved by the two ruling parties of the states through dialogue, there is no indication for the public rage incited by these parties subsiding anytime soon. 
 
Where lies the solution? <keyword id="2262165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjeev-Kumar-Balyan">Sanjeev Kumar Balyan</keyword>, Minister of State for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Drought-Series-Nearly-3-1-crore-people-in-Karnataka-are-hit-by-the-drought-and-migration-is-intensifying/articleshow/51979749.cms">Water Resources</a> has proposed that issue of river water distribution needs to be scrapped from the State list of constitution and added to the Concurrent List so that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Drought-Series-Nearly-3-1-crore-people-in-Karnataka-are-hit-by-the-drought-and-migration-is-intensifying/articleshow/51979749.cms">Centre </a>has its say as well. 
 The <keyword id="155317" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Republican">republican</keyword> set up of India has often been blamed for the centre hijacking power from the states to use it to dictate its own benefit. That is definitely something not so praiseworthy. However in the water distribution issue, the centre needs to have a say. 
 
The Cauvery issue keeps on recurring. 70 odd years have passed and the states couldn’t come up with a solution. Both the states are well aware of the fact that being adamant and sticking to illogical reasoning wouldn’t fetch any result. But for the game to be played in a gentleman’s way, the rules call for a quick change of perspective.

Hey Karnataka, why so angry?

With heavy rain pounding many parts of <keyword id="20154" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tamil-nadu" source="Orion">Tamil Nadu</keyword> and southwest monsoon in its full fury, the reservoirs have almost touched the full. The state water resources department in a statement on Thursday said the combined water storage level of 90 reservoirs in the state is at 86.74 per cent of their total capacity. Ten reservoirs in the state, including Mettur, Veeranam, and Gundar have attained their full capacity and water is being released. The heavy rainfall in the catchment areas and heavy inflow from Cauvery have led to these reservoirs getting filled up much before the full fury of the southwest monsoon. While ten reservoirs in the state are full, the others have 70 to 90 per cent of their capacity filled with water. The state water resources department in the statement on Thursday said that out of the total capacity of 224.297 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) the reservoirs in the state had 194.55 tmcft of water. According to the inter-state water agreement with Karnataka, the state was to receive 40.43 tmcft of water in June and July but Tamil Nadu received 138.14 tmcft, a three-fold increase. This, according to the senior officials, is due to the heavy and copious rain in Karnataka. With the Tamil Nadu reservoirs almost full, the water has to be ultimately let off to the sea but the water resources department officials told IANS that the irrigation and drinking water needs of the state would be properly met this year following this heavy southwest monsoon. In another development, after the Mettur reservoir was opened following heavy inflow from Cauvery, water gushed into several homes in Erode and Salem. People living in the low-lying areas were shifted to <keyword id="55827" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="relief-camps" source="Orion">relief camps</keyword> opened in Erode and the <keyword id="119446" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="national-disaster-response-force" source="Orion">National Disaster Response Force</keyword> was also called in. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin held a video conference with 12 district collectors and directed the officials to handle the emerging situation and to update him on the developments. At Kumarapalayam in Namakkal district, <keyword id="6385438" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heavy-rains" source="Orion">heavy rains</keyword> led to residents moving out of their homes, and in Edappadi, Salem district around 1000 acres of agricultural field was inundated. Salem district collector, S. Karmegam said that bathing and fishing in the Cauvery river have been banned as well as taking selfies close to the river has been prohibited. Tiruchy, Karur, and Thanjavur district administrations have sounded alert to the people residing on the banks of the Kollidam river. Banana plantations close to 200 acres were inundated at <keyword id="14642508" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uthamarseeli" source="Orion">Uthamarseeli</keyword> near Tiruchi town. All the reservoirs in <keyword id="14642507" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="coimbatore-aliyar" source="Orion">Coimbatore Aliyar</keyword>, Amaravathi, Thirumurthi and <keyword id="355924" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bhavanisagar" source="Orion">Bhavanisagar</keyword> have reached their full level and water discharge has increased. In Theni and Dindigul districts heavy rainfall lashed many parts and educational institutions have been given holidays. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/ola-electric-may-finally-introduce-its-first-electric-car-on-august-15/articleshow/93362208.cms">Ola Electric may finally introduce its first electric car on August 15</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/section-144-imposed-in-new-delhi-district-ahead-of-cong-protest/articleshow/93360668.cms">Section 144 imposed in New Delhi district ahead of Cong protest</a>

TN reservoirs almost full as heavy rains lash the state; relief camps opened

Chennai, Feb 1 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday dubbed the Union Budget 2022 as one that has forgotten people's welfare and slammed the Centre for its 'big brother attitude' by ignoring the demand of state governments to further extend the GST compensation regime. Stalin said there is no change in personal income tax slabs, no welfare schemes for farmers who died protesting the three farm laws, no flood relief allocation to the state and there is also no funding for Tamil Nadu government's project proposals. The budget is a big disappointment for Tamil Nadu and its people, the Chief Minister said. Though an announcement on preparation of a Detailed Project Report for the Godavari-Pennar-Cauvery river link project is a matter of solace, the concern is that there is not even a preliminary budgetary allocation to execute it. Since there is no allocation for the defence corridor initiative in Tamil Nadu, the state has been ignored in this sector as well, he alleged. A cut in allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme to the tune of about Rs 25,000 crore does not only seem to scuttle the initiative introduced during the UPA regime, but it also showed the Centre's thought process that 'not even a single paisa' should be left in the hands of the people at the bottom of the pyramid, he claimed. The 1 lakh crore to states for capital investment, though created an impression that states were going to get it, Stalin said and wondered how the states could get the assistance considering the several conditions imposed. Had the budget announcement stated that the 1 lakh crore would be distributed to states without any conditions, "I would have first welcomed it," he said. The 'One Nation One Registration' announcement interfered in the rights of the state governments. The Central government 'ignoring' the request of the state governments to extend the GST compensation regime beyond the June 30, 2022 deadline, only showed the 'big brother attitude' of the Union government, he alleged. On the whole, Stalin said there was nothing in the budget to inspire people's confidence and it ignored the expectations of the public against the background of upcoming elections in 5 states. Hence, it would only be appropriate to term the Union Budget 2022 as one that that has 'forgotten people's welfare', he said. PTI VGN BN BN

TN CM Stalin trashes Union Budget, slams Centre for 'big brother' attitude

<ul><li>Tamil Nadu is going to poll for the first time in the second phase of the 2019 Parliamentary elections in India.</li></ul><ul><li>The Neduvasal hydrocarbon project and Chennai-Salem expressway project driven by the central government have faced severe public outrage. </li></ul><ul><li>The Narendra Modi government’s stance on imposing a central exam for medical college admissions has further tilted the scales in favour of its rivals.</li></ul><ul><li>While the country’s largest copper smelter operated by Sterlite has been shut by court order, the police firing that killed 14 protestors in 2018 is still fresh in the voters’ minds. </li></ul><ul><li>The blame for the shootout in Tuticorin fell on the ruling state government under AIADMK, which is now fighting the Parliamentary elections in alliance with the BJP. </li></ul>The voters of one of India’s <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/himachal-pradesh-tamil-nadu-and-kerala-top-ranking-in-sdg-index-niti-aayog/articleshow/67192585.cms">relatively developed states</a>, Tamil Nadu, are an angry lot. A series of missteps by the Narendra Modi government meant that their indignation has been directed towards the incumbent alliance between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On the other side is the coalition between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Indian National Congress, the Left Front, and a set of other local parties that significance within certain segments-- either geographically or among specific sections of the electorate. While there are other regional outfits and smaller coalitions in the fray, including the iconic movie star Kamal Hasan who is making his electoral debut, almost <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019/tamil-nadu/news/tamil-nadu-poll-survey-says-dmk-front-to-get-30-33-lok-sabha-seats/articleshow/68784727.cms">all opinion polls</a> in the run up to the elections have handed a landslide to the challengers led by the DMK and Congress. There are at least four big decisions that work against the incumbent <keyword id="5013725" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIADMK-BJP-Alliance">AIADMK-BJP alliance</keyword>. A small oil field In 2015, the <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/energy/no-noble-gases-57750">Modi government approved a project to dig</a> for oil and natural gas from a 10 square kilometre field in Neduvasal, in Pudukottai district. The reason being the oil field was located in one of the more fertile parts of Tamil Nadu’s delta region around the Cauvery river. The proposal to dig for oil in the region scratched the wounds of an existing wound in the minds of the local farmers. A standoff with the neighbouring state of Karnataka over <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/a-brief-history-of-the-cauvery-dispute/tale-of-two-states/slideshow/63698683.cms">the sharing of Cauvery’s water</a> is decades old. Even after a settlement ordered by the Supreme Court, the farmers’ in Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl feel parched as well as wronged by the system. Farmers were caught by surprise when they were asked to give up their land to extract oil, while they were still hoping to their share of water to till the land. A big highway Farmers have been up in arms in five other districts too, far away from Neduvasal. The point of contention is an eight-lane expressway stretching nearly 280 kilometres west from the state capital Chennai to the industrial town of Salem. Once again the BJP has found itself in the firing line of the voters as it continues to push for the project despite stiff resistance that the party’s rivals have capitalised on. The Madras High Court on April 8 quashed the land acquisition process for the Chennai-Salem Expressway project. The challenging coalition led by Congress and the DMK have vowed to scrap the project if voted to power. A medical entrance test Seventeen-year-old Anitha, an aspiring medical student, committed suicide in September 2017 after she failed to clear the then newly-introduced medical entrance exam, that goes by the acronym NEET. The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) replaced the admission tests for medical colleges across the country with a centralised process. The <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-neet-election-issue-tamil-nadu-98604">people’s resentment against NEET</a> stems from the view that it puts local students, even the high-scorers, at a disadvantage because the curriculum is structured based on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is different from the state syllabus. The state administration’s high-handed approach in the wake of protests, and <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/piyush-goyal-neet-tamil-nadu-bjp-aiadmk-1500468-2019-04-12">the BJP’s persistence</a> on imposing NEET, has only hurt the alliance’s chances in the state. Once again, BJP’s rivals have promised to let states decide the mode of admission into medical colleges. The <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/QgYD6W50rev6VcHmGs9GKP/NEET-protests-More-states-join-the-fight.html">protests against NEET was not unique</a> to Tamil Nadu, but the outrage in the southern state was the most severe. Tamil Nadu is known for its huge population of aspiring doctors. The state has 22 medical colleges, among the highest in the country, and 4 doctors for every 1,000 people, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/6-states-have-more-doctors-than-whos-11000-guideline/articleshow/65640694.cms">nearly at par with</a> developed countries like Norway and Sweden. Despite the enduring resentment, Tamil Nadu had the <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/education/2019/feb/03/tamil-nadu-has-the-highest-number-of-doctors-who-cleared-pg-neet-1933745.html">maximum number of students</a> clearing the NEET exam in 2019. The shootout In May 2018, The Tamil Nadu Police <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-violence-video-shows-policemen-taking-aim-and-shooting-protesters-81744">opened fire at a sea of protestors</a> outside the country’s largest copper smelter, operated by Sterlite, a Vedanta Group company. More than 10 people died in the shootout and the public anger that swelled further poured on the ruling state government led by the AIADMK. Sterlite’s plant was accused of violating pollution norms, causing fatal health issues to its workers and the population in its vicinity. Local protests against the plant have been underway in patches since 1996, and they escalated once again in 2018 leading up to the <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/editorials/tuticorin-massacre/594415.html">‘Tuticorin Massacre’</a>. Subsequent probe and judicial inquiry revealed gaping regulatory lapses, eventually leading to the closure of the plant pending investigations and corrections. The London-based Vedanta Group has been a big donor to <a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/sterlite-congress-bjp-fcra-violation-finance-bill-amendments">both the BJP and the Congress</a> between 2004 and 2015. However, BJP also found itself further on the wrong side of the debate soon after the issue came to the fore, as some of its leaders tried to colour some of the protestors as anti-social elements. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="HRajaBJP" handlename="Chowkidar H Raja" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/690063070870241280/uH8lVPNK_normal.jpg" favoritecount="668" retweetcount="333" status="Not only Thoothukudi even the protest against the 8 way highway is orchestrated by the same anti social elements. https://t.co/UcjvxjiDsV" createdat="1530593499000" id="1014008749197946880"></div>





 Going into the 2019 elections, the party is in alliance with the regional party, AIADMK, which bore the brunt of the public anger. A year on, the memory of the lethal attack on protestors is still fresh among voters, particularly in the region. As is the outrage against NEET, the Chennai-Salem expressway, and the proposed oil field in Neduvasal. The odds are heavily stacked against the AIADMK-BJP alliance. This is the first-time in decades that Tamil Nadu is going to polls without a strong, regional leader to back. Over decades, a series of larger-than-life leaders, with their share of taints, from <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/cn-annadurai-legacy-of-a-dravidian-stalwart-6007351.html">CN Annadurai</a> to <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19880115-m.g.-ramachandran-death-marks-the-passing-of-an-era-of-stability-in-tamil-nadu-796866-1988-01-15">MG Ramachandran</a> to <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/karunanidhi-1924-2018/newslist/65311339.cms">M Karunanidhi</a> and <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/jayalalithaas-legacy/article9435860.ece">J Jayalalitha</a> had turned Tamil Nadu into a politically unbreachable fortress for national parties. The mandate kept passing between the DMK and AIADMK for years. However, the passing away of Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha in recent years has left a political vacuum that the national parties intended to capitalise on. Neither the BJP nor the Congress by itself has made any significant headway so far.

Tamil Nadu’s angry voters have a small oil field, a big highway, a medical entrance test, and a police shootout in mind

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6355187" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> lost 127 hours and 45 minutes due to disruptions while the Rajya Sabha wasted 121 hours. </li><li>In the time spent sitting by the Lok Sabha, a grand total of five bills were passed as against a planned target of 40. Two of these, the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill, were passed in less than half an hour. </li><li>Around ₹3.7 billion rupees of taxpayers money was lost as a result of the disruptions to the Budget Session. </li></ul>The 2018 Budget session, which concluded on April 6th, saw India’s <keyword id="6354721" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> record another unflattering statistic. According to PRS Legislative Research, Delhi-based think tank, it was the <a href="http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Budget%202018/Vital%20Stats%20-%20Budget%20Session%202018.pdf">least productive Budget Session</a> since 2000. Based <a href="http://164.100.47.193/statement/files/statementofwork.pdf">on information</a> from the Lok Sabha secretariat, 127 hours and 45 minutes were wasted in the Lower House of Parliament while business was conducted for only 34 hours. The Rajya Sabha (Upper House) fared slightly better, sitting for 44 hours and wasting 121. All in all, 249 out of a total of 327 hours were completely wasted, culminating in a productivity level of 24%. If you can call it productivity. In human terms, if an MP in the recent session was given four hours to do something, he or she spent three hours arguing about this responsibility, 45 minutes sitting down to think about it and 15 minutes actually doing it. In the time spent sitting by the Lok Sabha, a grand total of five bills were passed as against a planned target of 40. Two of these - the Finance Bill, which comprises taxation measures, and the Appropriation Bill, which details spending plans for government ministries - were passed in quick succession on March 14th. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan, was able to pass the bills in less than half an hour without any discussion by administering the “guillotine process”. When a guillotine is applied, all outstanding proposals need to be voted on once a fixed time for discussion is over. The hours wasted by Parliament aren’t borne by MPs but by taxpayers. In September 2012, following a washed-out Monsoon session, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pawan Kumar Bansal, said that the cost to the Exchequer of running the Parliament for <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/each-minute-of-running-parliament-in-sessions-costs-rs-2-5-lakh-govt-498784">one minute was ₹250,000</a>, a figure which has since been routinely quoted. Based on this estimate, around ₹3.7 billion rupees of taxpayers money was lost as a result of the disruptions to the Budget Session, excluding the salaries of MPs. But one can’t just look at this in monetary terms. There is a significant cost to bills being delayed, not only for the intended beneficiaries of such bills, but in terms of the time they take up in future sessions of Parliament which would normally be reserved for newer bills. At the end of the Budget Session, there were <a href="http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Budget%202018/Session%20wrap%20Budget%20Session%202018.pdf">68 bills pending</a> for discussion and passage, including the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill and the Whistleblowers Protection Bill. India’s electorate aren’t unfamiliar with washouts in Parliament. A number of sessions in recent years have been been largely unproductive and beset by interruptions. For example, the Winter Session in 2016, which took place right after the demonetisation, lost 19 of its 21 days due to disruptions. In the absence of institutional incentives to be productive, India’s MPs have no qualms in substituting debate with protests. These disruptions, rather than individual actions, are usually a coordinated ploy by opposition parties too highlight the government’s failings and are met with a equal reaction by ruling parties who wish to stall discussion over a topic. The blame game This Budget Session was no different and both sides were to blame. First, the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> and <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> pointed fingers at each other over the Nirav Modi scam at Punjab National Bank. Then, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), along with opposition parties, started protesting against the Centre’s decision to not give the state special category status. This led to a notice of a no-confidence motion, which was never brought to the floor, which only served to amplify the Opposition’s protests. Even though the BJP had the seats to quash the no-confidence motion, it probably did not want to risk the scrutiny and questions that came with such a motion. Finally, the latter end of the session featured disruptions related to the Cauvery water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as well as the Supreme Court’s dilution of the SC/STs Act. The blame game and hollow gestures continued well after the end of the Budget Session. On April 5th, the members of the ruling administration said that they would <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nda-mps-wont-take-pay-for-23-wasted-days/articleshow/63618705.cms">forgo their salaries </a>for the 23 wasted days in the second part of the Budget Session, which they attributed to the Congress. On April 9th, Rahul Gandhi led <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/rahul-gandhis-fast-at-rajghat-sajjan-singh-jagdish-tytler-asked-to-leave-top-developments/1126556/">a nationwide, day-long fast </a>to protest against the BJP government and the Parliament’s inability to function. The BJP responded with <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-narendra-modi-fast-on-april-12-why-is-pm-fasting-bjp-protests-rahul-gandhi-congress-amit-shah-parliament-5133495/">its own fast</a> against the stalling of Parliamentary proceedings by opposition parties few days later. <keyword id="834154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="No-work-no-pay">No work no pay</keyword>? The decision of the BJP MPs to forgo their salaries has brought the notion of “no work no pay” back into the spotlight. As part of the latest Union Budget, the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, decided to double MPs monthly salaries from ₹50,000 to ₹100,000. In 2007, when the BJP led the Opposition, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/somnath-wants-no-work-no-pay/articleshow/2225592.cms">proposed the concept</a> of “no work no pay for MPs”, pointing to the obvious flaw in a system that allowed them to claim their daily allowance for sitting in Parliament even when the session was disrupted. Last month, Manoj Tiwari, a BJP MP and head of its Delhi unit, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/manoj-tiwari-wants-no-work-no-pay-rule-for-mps/articleshow/63385053.cms">proposed the rule again</a>. While the rule makes sense on paper, it presupposes that MPs are motivated to work by their salaries. Many of them are rich to begin with. According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, <a href="https://adrindia.org/media/adr-in-news/13rd-mps-have-criminal-records-82-cent-are-crorepatis-adr">82% of the new Lok Sabha MPs </a>in 2014 had a net worth of over ₹10 million. In fact, the average worth of an MPs assets was ₹146 million. Perhaps the number of days could be increased. While this won’t raise productivity and will likely increase the burden of taxpayers, it could help tackle the growing pile of pending bills and allow more time for matters of public interest to be discussed. The Indian Parliament meets for roughly <a href="http://www.prsindia.org/media/articles-by-prs-team/the-house-is-not-in-session-4425/">70 days a year</a>, compared to 150 in the UK and 140 in the US. Furthermore, MPs are primarily motivated by votes. They are elected to represent the interests of the people who voted for them, not to add numbers to their parties’ protests in the house. It is the responsibility of voters to keep their representatives accountable. Parliamentary disruptions inhibit the functioning of our democracy. The disruptors should be rewarded accordingly when elections come around.

You Searched For "Cauvery protests" and got 9 results

Karnataka bandh: 44 flights cancelled, five activists arrested for trying to stage protest inside Bengaluru airport

IANS

Bengaluru Protests: Cauvery violence hits Amazon, Flipkart; IT companies left worried

BI India Bureau

Infosys, TCS declare one-day off as Bengaluru burns over Cauvery dispute

BI India Bureau

When Bengaluru protested over Cauvery water, this woman set 42 buses on fire just for a plate of mutton biryani and Rs 100

BI India Bureau

Hey Karnataka, why so angry?

Suchayan Mandal

TN reservoirs almost full as heavy rains lash the state; relief camps opened

IANS

TN CM Stalin trashes Union Budget, slams Centre for 'big brother' attitude

PTI

Tamil Nadu’s angry voters have a small oil field, a big highway, a medical entrance test, and a police shootout in mind

Sriram Iyer

The recently-concluded Budget session of the Indian Parliament was the least productive in 18 years

Dilsher Dhillon

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