TN MP raises Cauvery issue in LS

An MP from Tamil Nadu on Thursday raised the dispute over sharing Cauvery waters in the Lok Sabha, triggering noisy disapproval from the parliamentarians from Karnataka.

P Lingam, CPI MP from Tamil Nadu, raised the issue in the Lok Sabha during the zero hour, even as the members of the Trinamool Congress trooped into the well of the House and shouted slogans against the Congress-led UPA government for its decision to put a limit on supply of subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six per year per household.

“Cauvery river water is common to both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Almost in eight districts of Tamil Nadu, fourteen lakh hectares of land is being irrigated by Cauvery river water,” said Lingam. 

“The paddy crops cultivated in these Cauvery delta districts have provided foodgrain not only to the people of Tamil Nadu but also to the people of the entire nation,” he added, alleging that Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery river water had not been released by Karnataka. “Cauvery delta districts have been suffering from severe drought. Kuruvai crops have failed. Harvested samba crops have also become dry.”

BJP MP Ananth Kumar and a few other parliamentarians from Karnataka rose to counter the allegation of Lingam. Speaker Meira Kumar, however, ruled that only Lingam’s words would go into records of proceedings of the House.

“Unity and integrity of the nation is centralised towards sharing of river water. Our nation is functioning under the principle of federalism,” said Lingam, even as his words were almost drowned in the din as the TMC members kept on shouting slogans demanding that the cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders be raised to 24 per year per household.
The Speaker adjourned the House immediately after Lingam finished.