Mahanadi row: Odisha MP serves breach of privilege notice against Balyan

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
New Delhi, Jul 28:

Odisha’s ruling party-Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today served a notice for a breach of privilege motion against Union Minister of State for Water Resources Sanjeev Balyan for misleading the House with wrong information during the debate on Mahanadi in the Lok Sabha.

BJD parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Bhatruhari Mahatab served the notice against Balyan.

Earlier in the day, BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb had told the media in Bhubaneswar that the party had planned to move a breach of privilege notice against Balyan and the parliamentary party was working on it.

“During the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Mahanadi issue, Union MoS for Water Resources Sanjeev Balyan had presented two wrong facts. The Minister had presented wrong facts over Detailed Project Report (DPRs) on Arpa and Kelo projects. Our Parliamentary party is preparing to move a breach of privilege motion in the Parliament on the issue,” Deb had said today.

However, Balyan had refuted the charge claiming that he had provided the information in the House on the basis of facts submitted by the Chhattisgarh government.

“I had informed the House on the basis of information provided by the Chhattisgarh government. I haven’t misled the House at all. Let them (BJD) bring privilege motion then we will see,” said Balyan earlier in the day in his reaction to BJD’s proposal to move a breach of privilege motion against him.

The Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati too had come out in support of Balyan stating that the allegations of the BJD were baseless.

“The Union MoS for Water Resources has given no misleading information in the House. BJD’s allegations are baseless. If BJD is doing this with a political motive then we have nothing to say,” Bharati had stated.

It is worth mentioning here that Balyan had told in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the DPR of Kelo project was sent to Odisha in 2006 and the project was approved in 2009 while questioning why Odisha government had not opposed the project then.