‘Conspiracy to kill Mahanadi’: BJD targets Odisha govt over water dispute, BJP hits back

The long-standing Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh took a major political turn on Saturday, with senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Prasanna Acharya alleging a ‘conspiracy to kill the Mahanadi’.

While talking to reporters, Acharya accused the current Odisha government of inaction despite repeated constructions of barrages by neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The allegation triggered a strong political rebuttal from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which questioned the BJD’s record during its 24-year rule in the state.

‘Mahanadi’s Death Means Odisha’s Death,’ Says BJD

Prasanna Acharya alleged that the Chhattisgarh government has been constructing barrages on the river one after another without seeking permission or giving intimation to the Odisha government. He said the river’s survival was directly linked to the survival of Odisha and warned of severe consequences if the situation continued unchecked.

Acharya also alleged that during the BJD government, Odisha had approached the Centre and sought intervention from the Central Water Commission, but claimed that the response was inadequate.

He alleged that the matter was earlier viewed through a political lens as the BJP was in power at both the Centre and in Chhattisgarh, while Odisha was governed by the BJD. According to him, the people of Odisha and the river itself are now bearing the consequences of that approach.

“Earlier, when Odisha raised this issue with the Centre, they held a partial stand and did not address any of our grievances. Everything was seen through a political lens. Today, the Mahanadi and the people of Odisha have to bear the consequences of that (partiality)."

He further questioned why no decisive steps were being taken now, despite the BJP being in power at the Centre, in Odisha, and in Chhattisgarh.

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BJP Questions BJD’s Track Record

Responding to the allegations, BJP legislator Jayanarayan Mishra rejected the BJD’s claims and questioned its credibility on the Mahanadi issue. Mishra said the BJD had remained in power in Odisha for 24 years but failed to resolve the dispute.

He alleged that the BJD had constituted three to four committees during its tenure, but never made their findings public. Mishra also claimed that during those years, the BJD government did not even have clarity on the construction of barrages in Chhattisgarh.

"They (the BJD) were in the government for the past 24 years…they formed about three to four committees. But have they made the details and findings of these committees public?” he said.

The BJP leader also added that, “In these decades, their (BJD’s) people were in the Odisha government. They claim they knew everything about the Mahanadi from its origin to the Hirakud. And yet, they had no clue about the Chhattisgarh barrages? Their words have no importance,” said Jayanarayan Mishra.

High-Level Committee Meeting on December 22

Meanwhile, Mishra informed that the first meeting of the newly constituted high-level committee on the Mahanadi dispute will be held at 11 am on December 22 under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo.

The Odisha government had earlier, on December 10, constituted a seven-member high-level committee to guide the state’s position before the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal. The committee includes ministers Suresh Pujari, Prithviraj Harichandan and Sampad Chandra Swain, government chief whip Saroj Kumar Pradhan, and legislators Niranjan Pujari, Jayanarayan Mishra and Sofia Firdous.

The dispute over Mahanadi water sharing between Odisha and Chhattisgarh continues to remain sub judice before the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.