Furore over Cauvery issue in LS

New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today assured the House that he would allow a discussion on the Cauvery Water Dispute even as it witnessed noisy scenes after former Prime Minister Deve Gowda sought to make a reference about the dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Members from Tamil Nadu were on their feet shouting at Mr Gowda when he appealed to the Chair to allow a discussion on the Cauvery Water issue under rule 193 of Rules of Procedure of the Lower House.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi and Shipping and Transport Minister T R Baalu had a tough time controlling the members belonging to all political parties from Tamil Nadu. Members from Karnataka also shouted at his colleagues from Tamil Nadu, plunging the House into din for a few minutes.

Speaker Chatterjee took great exception to the ''behaviour'' of the members and said at one point that ''we are not fit for democracy.'' Mr Chatterjee said he had not rejected the demand of Mr Gowda to allow him to raise a discussion on Cauvery issue. ''I assure you that there is no intention on the part of the Chair to deny any discussion. But please don't impute motive,'' he told Mr Gowda.

The Speaker said he had already promised Mr Gowda, when he met him earlier in the day, to give an opportunity to discuss the Cauvery issue after the financial businesses were completed.

Though the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address was completed last night, the Chair gave a special permission to Mr Gowda to put forth his views as a last speaker before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was to give his reply to the motion.

Before Mr Gowda began his speech, the Speaker announced that he had promised to him that he would not refer to the vexed Cauvery issue.

He began his speech saying that ''I will not refer to the Cauvery issue. I don't want to disturb the House.'' However, he sought to make a brief reference to the issue towards the close of his 15-minute speech, plunging the House into disorder.

Earlier, Mr Gowda appealed to all political parties to stand together to address common problems facing the country. ''Let the message of harmony go out from this House. Let us show that Parliament thinks as one nation and does not think as a principality of British India.'' UNI