Fracas over Cauvery in Parliament

New Delhi: Adjournments and brawls seem to be becoming a daily affair in Parliament nowadays.

After witnessing two adjournments over the Nandigram issue on Tuesday, Lok Sabha was adjourned for 30 minutes on the Cauvery issue with DMK members getting into another clash as a debate on the issue was taken up.

A special discussion on the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was slated to be raised by BJP member Ananth Kumar and C Kuppusami of DMK on Tuesday.

As the House re-assembled at 1600 hours, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee appealed to members to discuss the water-sharing issue in a dispassionate and responsible manner.

After his brief appeal, the Speaker asked Kumar to start the discussion under Rule 193, which does not entail voting.

As soon as the BJP leader started his speech seeking Central intervention to undo the "injustice" done to Karnataka by the tribunal order, DMK members raised slogans

and trooped into the well of the House forcing adjournment for half-an-hour.

Earlier in the day, Lok Sabha was adjourned twice for a total of five hours on the Nandigram issue.

Karnataka ready for talks

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said the state was ready to hold talks with Tamil Nadu to resolve the water-sharing dispute over Cauvery, claiming that his counterpart M Karunanidhi was in favour of a dialogue.

Kumaraswamy said he spoke to Karunanidhi over phone on Monday to extend Ugadi greetings and referred to the latter's readiness to hold talks to sort out the issue in the

wake of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's verdict.

"I referred to his (Karunanidhi's) statements on holding a dialogue. I discussed the issue of having such talks in eight or 10 days," Kumaraswamy said.

"Karunanidhi responded positively (on dialogue)," he added.

However, Kumaraswamy said that before holding any such meeting, he would have to consult senior political leaders and legal and irrigation experts of the state.

"We will take a final decision after consultations on whether the meeting should be at the individual level (between the two Chief Ministers) or whether we should take a delegation,” Kumaraswamy said.

But Kumaraswamy made it clear that the state's "legal battle" against the tribunal's award would continue simultaneously even if the talks materialised.

Kumaraswamy also appealed to AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa to join hands in the efforts to find an amicable solution to the water-sharing dispute.

"Nothing should be done that will give room for whipping up the passions of the people. As neighbouring states, we should live in a spirit of brotherhood," he said.