Both BJP & Congress shedding crocodile tears on Mahanadi: Odisha ruling party

Bhubaneswar: Hitting out at the State units of the BJP and Congress over the Mahanadi river water dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) accused both the parties of adopting an anti-Odisha attitude by continuing to be mute spectators in the longstanding issue.

Addressing a press meet today, BJD Spokesperson Shreemayee Mishra and panelist Swayam Prakash Mahapatra said the party condemns the anti-people attitude of the Odisha BJP and Odisha Congress and demanded that the BJP demand its party-run Centre to intervene immediately and resolve the issue. “If the Odisha BJP and Odisha Congress still continue to be silent on the Mahanadi river water dispute and do not get their party-run governments at the Centre and Chhattisgarh, respectively, to intervene in this matter, it will be well known that all their crocodile tears are meant only for cheap politics and not for the welfare of the people of Odisha,” they said.

Mahanadi is the lifeline of Odisha and both their histories are inter-linked. Flowing across across half the districts of Odisha, the river not just impacts about 2.5 crore people, it is associated with the Asmita, the heritage and the rich legacy of the State.When it found in 2017 that Chattisgarh was constructing illegal barrages on the upstream of river Mahanadi, the BJD-run Odisha Government demanded that Chhattisgarh stop this illegal activity and forced the Centre to intervene and hold a tripartite meeting in Delhi with Centre along with Chhattisgarh Government to resolve this matter. But an Odia Union Minister instead of standing for the interests of people of Odisha on Mahanadi, supported Chhattisgarh and tried to pressurize Odisha Government  to cooperate with the neighbouring State, the BJD release read.

“Odisha Government then approached the Supreme Court after which the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal for adjudication under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 was constituted. While BJD is fighting strenuously for Mahanadi and the people of Odisha, BJP leaders in the State were silent. Despite five years having passed since the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal was formed in 2018, there is no progress. Today, Chhattisgarh is governed by the Congress Party. Odisha Congress leaders who in earlier years used to raise slogans on Mahanadi against BJP-led Chattisgarh have now gone conveniently silent. Their silence shows that for the Odisha BJP, it is Party first and “Mati”(earth) last. Both the Congress and the BJP are two sides of the same coin. The Mahanadi issue has exposed their intentions,” the party spokesperson said.