By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, January 20, 2017 : The ruling Biju Janata Dal [BJD] in Odisha on Friday raised serious doubts about the negotiation committee constituted by the Union Government in resolving the dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over sharing of Mahanadi waters alleging the Centre of allowing Chhattisgarh to expedite its projects under one pretext or the other.

“The dispute is between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It is Odisha government which has approached the Central government. On two earlier occasions, meeting between the two states at the Chief Secretary and Chief Minister levels have ended in failures. We are apprehensive about the outcome of another committee formed for negotiations again. This gives us scope to believe that some way or the other the Chhattisgarh government is being allowed time to expedite its projects,” said Pratap Keshari Deb, BJD spokesperson.

Pratap Keshari Dev

Dev said, the state had been demanding before the Centre to ask the Chhattisgarh government to put on hold its ongoing projects upstream of Mahanadi till the matter is resolved. “Well after negotiations are over will they dismantle whatever they have constructed? It’s very clear that it is a dilly-dallying policy,” Deb added.

Even the opposition Congress criticised the centre’s move saying that the formation of such a committee is yet another attempt to mollify the people of Odisha who were angry over the BJP’s plans to rope in controversial Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh as star campaigner of the party for the upcoming panchayat polls.

“BJP in Odisha by naming Chhattisgarh Chief Minister as star campaigner has courted controversy. For that reason Central government has formed this negotiation committee. This is no way going to influence the people of Odisha neither it’s in any manner going to protect the state’s interest,” stated Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Congress chief whip in the state Assembly.

The BJP, however, has defended the Centre’s constitution of the negotiation panel.

“The BJP doesn’t believe in any kind of drama or farce. It believes in the service to the people. It believes in the welfare of the people. The Centre has taken the step in the welfare of the people. For this step we thank the Centre,” said Basant Panda, president of the BJP, Odisha unit.

In a related development, the Samajwadi Party on Friday approached the State Election Commission (SEC) by drawing its attention to the Centre’s announcement to form the panel alleging that the announcement would influence voters and was a violation of the model code of conduct enforced in the state for the upcoming panchayat polls.

A four member delegation of the party led by its state unit president Rabi Behera met the SEC and submitted a memorandum in this regard urging it to issue a notice to the Central government.