Bhubaneswar: Sunday saw a heated exchange of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha over Mahanadi water-sharing dispute and delimitation.
Taking a dig at the BJP government’s proposed ‘amicable’ solution to the Mahanadi dispute, the BJD stressed the need to stop the ongoing construction work of barrages on the river in Chhattisgarh for a fruitful deliberation on the issue.
On Saturday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai agreed to find a way for peaceful resolution of the dispute.
“We welcome the discussions on the issue by CMs of both states. If both governments want a fruitful discussion and mutual solution to the issue without hampering the interests of Odisha, then the Chhattisgarh government should immediately stop the ongoing construction of work on various projects and hold discussions,” senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya told the media.
He further noted that the ruling BJP, without blaming others, should now work to resolve the dispute as there is a triple-engine government in Odisha, the Centre, and Chhattisgarh.
Acharya, however, questioned the efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue when the matter is currently in the tribunal.
In his counter, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan questioned Naveen Patnaik-led government’s stubborn stance on the issue, refusing to hold discussions with the neighbouring state, and instead moving the tribunal despite being warned against it due to its lengthy process.
“The Union government convened a meeting of the representatives of the two states in 2016 to resolve the issue. The Centre held three meetings. The then CM of Odisha attended only the first meeting and skipped the remaining two. The previous BJD-led Odisha government moved to a tribunal only to serve its own political interests. They now crying crocodile tears,” he said.
Harichandan said the BJD should stop doing politics on the Mahanadi water dispute issue as the government is taking all the necessary steps to resolve the issue at the earliest keeping in view the interests of Odisha.
DELIMITATION ISSUE
The freeze on delimitation, being set to lapse in 2026, has brought the debate around delimitation centre stage.
After attending the Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation called by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai, BJD leader Amar Patnaik on Sunday urged the central government to engage in extensive discussions with all parties before making any decision.
“If population is the only criterion, Odisha will lose both Assembly and Parliamentary seats. The central government must hold detailed discussions and consultations with all parties before making a decision,” he said.
The BJD leader stressed that the delimitation process with population as the sole criterion would be detrimental to Odisha’s interests. “Odisha’s decadal growth has consistently declined, yet we excel in both population control and financial performance. Population is a factor in financial devolution, but it shouldn’t be the sole criterion. There’s a compelling case for looking beyond numbers. This issue deeply impacts Odisha and its people, which matters more to Naveen Babu than anything else,” he added.
The Law Minister emphasised that delimitation will ensure better representation of states in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha, which will help in development of a region and the democratic process. “They should wait till the notification is issued. After that, the opposition parties can raise their objections and hold discussions. The reactions are uncalled up and only meant at scoring brownie points in politics,” he added.
