AAP questions silence of Congress, BJP on Polavaram

Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, May 3:

Members of the Odisha unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a demonstration at Master Canteen square here this evening protesting against the apathy of the BJP and Congress towards Odia sentiments and their silence on the sensitive Polavaram dam issue.

AAP Odisha, state convenor, Nishikant Mohapatra alleged that Congress and BJP are hell bent on going ahead with the Polavaram project undermining the concerns of the tribal people of the area.

To woo the voters of Seemandhra, both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi have shown unusual interest in the project although cases from the state government and Chhattisgarh are lying before the Supreme Court, Mohapatra said.

“It is a blatant violation of tribal rights in the Scheduled Area, undermines the Forest Rights Act and a serious threat to the ecosystem. Vast stretches of belonging to the people of Odisha are going to be submerged under water in the project,” the AAP leader said.

No one is even talking about the rehabilitation of the people of Motu area in Odisha’s Malkangiri district who would be the worst affected by the project, Mohapatra said

AAP Odisha is strongly opposed to this ‘undemocratic and anti people’ move of the Congress and BJP and will do all it can to protect the interests of the tribal people of Malkangiri and Odisha, he added.