Bangalore: The Karnataka Cabinet is meeting on November 4 to discuss the Cauvery issue and the fresh cassette sent by forest brigand Veerappan in which he has demanded that state minister Raju Gowda be sent as an emissary if it is not possible to depute Tamil activist Kollathur Mani to negotiate the release of Janata Dal – United (JD-U) leader H Nagappa.

The meeting is expected to decide on the date for convening an emergent session of the state Legislature to discuss the Cauvery issue, official sources said.

An emergent Legislature session was called on September 24 to discuss the Cauvery issue but it was adjourned sine die without debating anything on the ground that it was not advisable to discuss a matter pending before the Supreme Court.

The Cabinet meeting, which was scheduled earlier, is now having another issue on hand with the fourth cassette sent by Veerappan on November 3, which has given a bizarre twist to the 72-day old hostage crisis with the bandit asking for Karnataka Minister of State for Food Processing Raju Gowda, if Mani could not be sent for negotiations.

Karnataka Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said on November 3 that the fresh turn in the Nagappa crisis would be discussed by the Cabinet meeting, which would also take up other issues.

PTI