BJD-BJP animosity aggravated Mahanadi dispute: Odisha Congress

Bhubaneswar: It is only due to the ongoing stand-off between the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the dispute over Mahanadi River water snowballed into a major controversy, said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik today. The Odisha Congress chief also targeted both the parties for doing nothing to protect the interests of the people of the State.

Talking to reporters in Bhubaneswar after attending the swearing-in-ceremony of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Patnaik said that the newly elected Congress government in the neighbouring State also feels that the Mahanadi issue had unnecessarily become the bone of contention between both the States.

“The meeting with Chhattisgarh CM and others ministers was purely a courtesy call. However, they also feel that the Mahanadi issue could have been dealt with in a better manner,” said Patnaik.

Patnaik further stated that the newly-formed Chhattisgarh government is positive in terms of resolving the ongoing Mahanadi dispute. “A Congress delegation will certain take up the issue with the Chhattisgarh government in coming days,” he added.

Comments of BJD and BJP leaders have not been received yet.