Bengaluru: The veteran Kannada film star Anant Nag has hit back at Tamil superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan for politicising the Cauvery River water sharing issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to News18 Anant Nag said, “We expected Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan to have a different approach and attitude towards Karnataka and Cauvery. But they have failed us by toeing the same old line of typical Tamil Nadu politicians. The political goons of Tamil Nadu are playing politics with Cauvery. Sadly, Rajini and Kamal are also following the same line. I have nothing against Tamil people. They are nice people and close to Kannadigas. Stars like Rajini and Kamal should not behave like the rest of the lot. We have some expectations from their politics.”
He said that both Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are fighting for the political supremacy and using Cauvery as a weapon to achieve that.
“Our state Karnataka is going to elect a new government in a month. The political atmosphere is surcharged here. The Centre is in a fix. There are no immediate elections in Tamil Nadu. Can’t these stars wait till the elections get over? Why are they adding fuel to fire? Young Tamil actor Simbu has made a sensible comment on the Cauvery issue saying that Karnataka will release whatever water it can to Tamil Nadu. I am shocked that Rajini and Kamal don’t have the maturity that this young actor Simbu has,” the versatile actor said.
He said that the adamant nature of Tamil politicians had created the Cauvery dispute and they did not want a solution to it as it could be milked forever.
“Even the Nile river water dispute has been resolved in Africa. Many other such disputes have seen a logical end all over the World. But Tamil politicians don’t want to put an end to Cauvery dispute, because it helps them politically. It is already a 138-year-old issue. How long can we wait to end this?” he asked.
Anant Nag said that even though Cauvery originates in Karnataka, neighbouring Tamil Nadu gets more water because it is a lower riparian state and they are abusing the generosity of Kannadigas.
“We the Kannadigas are nice people. We are gentle. It seems Tamilians think that we are weak because of our inherent good qualities and nature. They are abusing our generosity. Only if we give them a fitting reply in the same language they understand, they may keep quiet,” the top actor said.
The Tamil Nadu government and the politicians, including these two superstars, are not ready to accept the Supreme Court’s final verdict and politicising it 24*7, Anant Nag said.
“In a federal nation like India, states should have a cordial relationship with each other. But Tamil Nadu does not seem know that basic thing. I think we must teach them rules of federalism. This kind of thing can’t go on forever,” he said.
Anant Nag said that he was ready to join any movement to safeguard the interests of Kannadigas and Karnataka in future.
Anant Nag has acted in more than 300 films, including Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and English. He has won several awards for his acting. He was a Karnataka minister in the Janata Dal government in the late 1990s.
His younger brother the late Shankar Nag produced the iconic “Malgudi Days” for the Doordarshan in the 1980s.
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