Bengaluru, Aug. 2 -- While addressing an all-party meeting convened to discuss the Cauvery water issue, Karnataka Chief Minister Shivakumar on Sunday said the interests of the state's farmers and people were more important than politics.

"The interests of the state's farmers and people are more important than politics," Shivakumar said, adding that Karnataka has a history of setting aside political differences and standing united whenever the state's interests are at stake.

The Chief Minister said the Cauvery dispute was not new to the people of Karnataka.

"The Cauvery dispute is not new to us, nor is it new to you. We have all grown up with the Cauvery dispute as an integral part of our lives," he said.

Reiterating the state's positi...