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Krishna stuck between Veerappan, Jayalalithaa and the Cauvery

Nearly two weeks after he abducted JD(U) leader and former Karnataka minister H Nagappa, sandalwood smuggler Veerappan finally sent an audio cassette in which, sources said, he has spelt out his demands.

Though the Karnataka government has not revealed the contents of the cassette, sources have said that Veerappan wants Kolluthur Mani to be sent to him as an emissary. At present, Mani is imprisoned in Bellary jail in northern Karnataka charged with colluding with the bandit in Kannada actor Rajakumar's abduction.

Besides, sources said, Veerappan has also sought the release of Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P Nedumaran.

In the cassette, sources have said, Nagappa has mentioned his deteriorating health.

The family is happy to hear from Nagappa but is anxious about his diabetes problem. According to Nagappa's son, who is a doctor, his health needs constant monitoring.

The ball is now in the court of the Karnataka government, but Chief Minister S M Krishna does not have a free hand to deal with the bandit's demands.

To begin with, Veerappan operates in the forests on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Hence, it is important that both these states work in tandem.

However, while Krishna is under pressure to go for negotiations with the bandit, his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa is firm on sending security forces to hunt him down.

This is in sharp contrast to the time the bandit had abducted actor Rajakumar about two years ago when the then Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi had extended full cooperation to the Karnataka government.

Secondly, the states are at loggerheads over sharing of Cauvery waters. A recent Supreme Court judgment, in fact, made it mandatory for Karnataka to release (a certain amount of) water to Tamil Nadu. This has led to resentment among farmers and tension in the southern parts of the state.

Any wrong step at this juncture would only escalate these tensions.

To compound matters, Jayalalithaa has of late been criticizing the Congress and its president Sonia Gandhi raising the issue of her foreign origins.

This has made it difficult for Krishna to approach Jayalalithaa for help. At the same time, without Tamil Nadu's cooperation Karnataka cannot put pressure on Veerappan through combing operations.

Veerappan is not one to hesitate to exploit these differences. If he insists on Nedumaran's release, Krishna would be put in an awkward position as Jayalalithaa is firmly against it. The TNM leader is being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

For that matter, even releasing Mani wound not be easy due to the legal hurdles and the fact that the issue may be taken to court.

Meanwhile, the situation is getting worse in the southern districts of Karnataka regarding release of Cauvery waters.

In a bid to control the immediate crisis, Krishna has left for Delhi to convince the prime minister to convene an urgent meeting of the Cauvery River Authority and help resolve at least one issue.

H Nagappa Abduction: Complete coverage
The Abduction of Dr Rajakumar
The Hunt for Veerappan

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