Bhubaneswar: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s yesterday’s assertion that the Mahanadi river dispute be settled amicably between Orissa and Chhattisgarh through dialogues came in for sharp criticism from the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan that organized a dharna at Lower PMG here Monday.
According to the MBA, Prasad’s stand has exposed the Centre’s biased attitude and that the BJP-led government at the Centre was totally ignoring the concerns of Orissa.
MBA leaders simultaneously rejected the call of Union Law Minister to settle out the differences through talks, describing his remark as a “stupid statement.’’
“The time for a mutual dialogue on the Mahanadi issue is already gone. We believe, the minister made a very stupid statement. The Centre is playing politics. As per the Constitution, if one state approaches the Government of India for the formation of a tribunal, the Centre is bound to form the body within a year,” said Sudarshan Das, convener, MBA.
Das, a prominent river water activist, also questioned the Centre’s delay in forming the tribunal.
“Any further delay in the formation of the tribunal will help Chhattisgarh to construct more barrages on the river. Therefore, the Centre needs to take immediate steps for the formation of the tribunal,” Das added.
The MBA protest at Lower PMG saw the presence of human rights activists who reminded that ignoring the rights of Orissa would trigger more farmer suicides in the state.
“Chhattisgarh is taking water from Mahanadi for its industries. But, as far as we are concerned, it is the issue of our farmers and this river is the lifeline of our state. So, if our farmers don’t get sufficient water, they would face crop damage and that will eventually worsen the plight of the farming community, said Manoj Jena, core group member of National Human Rights Commission.
“So, if the Centre ignores the demands of Orissa, it will be a gross injustice to the rights of the farmers,” Jena added.
During the dharna, activists also alleged that Centre is protecting the interest of corporate houses.
“The Centre is actually trying to serve the interests of corporate houses. Our Chief Minister had held several discussions with the Chhattisgarh government on this issue and hence further dialogues will be fruitless,” said Janardan Pati, eminent CPM leader.
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