Mahanadi row: Odisha Advocate General hits back at Naveen Patnaik over tribunal hearing absence

In the ongoing Mahanadi water dispute, Odisha Advocate General (AG) Pitambar Acharya has issued a strong rebuttal to former Chief Minister and Leader of the OppositionNaveen Patnaik. 

Taking to X, Naveen had raised questions over the AG’s absence during the latest tribunal hearing, prompting a sharp counter from Acharya.

Responding to Naveen’s remarks on the dispute, Acharya said the former Chief Minister should have engaged in self-introspection before making such statements. He alleged that over the past seven years, Naveen’s legal team had spent crores of rupees from the state exchequer without yielding results.

Acharya credited Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s positive approach for showing a constructive path forward, stating that due to the Centre’s intervention, both the states are now on the threshold of an amicable resolution to the long-pending dispute.

Also Read: Mahanadi water row: Odisha and Chhattisgarh agree on mutual settlement, says Minister in Parliament

Clarifying his role, Acharya said it is well known to the people of the State that he has been present at all hearings since assuming office of Advocate General. He explained that today’s hearing was solely meant to seek an extension of the tribunal’s tenure, and therefore, his presence was not required.

Terming Naveen Patnaik’s remarks as disappointing, Acharya likened them to 'sudden outbursts after waking from deep sleep'.

"In the Mahanadi matter, before opening his mouth, @Naveen_Odisha should have done some self-introspection. For seven years, Naveen Babu’s legal team spent crores of rupees from the state exchequer, yet could not achieve even a bit of success. After the BJP government came to power, due to the positive thinking of the Hon’ble Chief Minister @MohanMOdisha and the intervention of the Central government, both states have now come to the threshold of an amicable settlement. After assuming the responsibility of AG, my presence and role in all hearings are known to the people of the state. As today’s hearing was only meant for extending the tenure of the tribunal, my presence was not required at all. Naveen Babu’s statement is completely disappointing and feels like incoherent rambling after suddenly waking up from sleep," wrote Advocate General Pitambar Acharya on X (earlier known as Twitter).

 It may be noted that Naveen had earlier questioned the AG’s absence during today’s tribunal hearing on the Mahanadi water dispute.