Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha leader Vatal Nagaraj leads a demonstration on ‘Save the Forests’ at Hardinge Circle in Mysuru on Sunday. | Photo credit: MA Sriram
Kannada protagonist and Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha leader Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday staged a demonstration near Hardinge Circle in Mysuru to draw the government’s attention to ‘Save Forests’ in Karnataka.
Accompanied by his supporters, Mr Nagaraj gathered on Sunday and shouted slogans of ‘Save the forests’ and ‘Save the animals in the forests’.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nagaraj regretted that no honest effort was being made to protect the forests that were being destroyed across the state.
He said forests are the “treasure” of the state and the country and protection of wild animals is the responsibility of the forest department.
Citing cases like the poisoning of a tigress and her four cubs at MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar district and the death of 28 blackbucks at Belagavi Zoo, Mr. Nagaraj regretted the alleged “negligence” of the forest department in the matter.
He urged the government to sack the officials responsible for the negligence and order a high-level inquiry into the deaths of the blackbucks.
He also regretted that the department had failed in its responsibility to keep the wild animals confined in the forests by not providing them with the required food and water.
He urged Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre to take the matter seriously and deploy more staff to prevent wild animals from entering the villages on the fringes of the forests.
Mr. Nagaraj called for a ban on resorts in a buffer zone of 5 km from the forest boundary and said restrictions should be imposed on tourists entering the forest areas for recreation and entertainment.
He urged the government to provide compensation of ₹50 crore to the next of kin of farmers who were killed in wild animal attacks on the fringes of forest areas.
Mr. Nagaraj also urged the forest department to keep a close watch on timber theft, especially in the forests on the Karnataka border. He claimed that a large amount of wood was looted from forests in Karnataka during the night theft.
The Kannada protagonist also reiterated his demand to ban the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) and urged the government to ensure that the deliberations in the upcoming legislative session in Belagavi are devoted solely to the development of North Karnataka.
He also asked for the release of ₹5,000 crore for the development of North Karnataka.
November Revolution
In view of the speculation of a “November revolution” and the replacement of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Mr. Nagaraj ruled out such a possibility.
“If there is any revolution at all, it will happen if Mr. Siddaramaiah is removed,” he said, while asserting that Mr. Siddaramaiah is needed by the state even after the 2028 assembly elections.
“There is no one like Mr. Siddaramaiah in Congress, BJP or JD(S). Mr. Siddaramaiah brings respect to the state with his stature,” he said, adding that removing Mr. Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister was out of the question.
Published – 16 Nov 2025 18:52 IST
