During the protest, activists tore posters of Jana Nayagan, a film featuring Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, as a symbolic mark of opposition to the water release. They maintained that the State was facing an acute water situation and could not spare even a single drop of Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu. The protesters argued that Karnataka's drinking water requirements should take precedence over any inter-State water release. Warning of a larger agitation, the activists said protests would intensify across Karnataka if the State government proceeded with releasing water to Tamil Nadu. They reiterated that safeguarding drinking water for the people of Karnataka must remain the government's top priority before implementing any order on Cauvery water sharing.