Bhubaneswar: With the panchayat elections round the corner, the formation of a negotiation panel by the Centre to address the Mahanadi water dispute between Orissa and Chhattisgarh, has further snowballed the issue with opposition parties dubbing it a ‘poll plank.’
Surprised by the Centre’s decision, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Friday alleged that the move of the NDA government is a poll plank as the decision has come after the saffron party roped in Chief Minister Raman Singh as a star campaigner for the rural elections in Orissa.
“BJD is fully apprehensive of the outcome of the move. Raman Singh has been included in party’s star campaigners’ list for panchayat elections and the sudden announcement after that proves that BJP is trying to politicise and linger the issue instead of finding an early solution,” said BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb.
Deb further questioned the formation of negotiation panel, stating, “The decision has been taken to facilitate Chhattisgarh to complete the construction work in Mahanadi upper catchment as the main demand of Orissa to halt project works by the neighbouring state is yet to be considered.”
He also said the state government is yet to receive the terms of reference of the panel.
Echoing similar voice, the Samajwadi Party in the state said the issue is being politicised by BJP ahead of panchayat elections.
Alleging that the announcement of the panel was a violation of model code of conduct, a team of SP led by its state president Rabi Behera submitted a memorandum to state election commission and urged it to instruct Union water resources ministry to withdraw its decision immediately.
Notably, taking cognisance of complaints made by Orissa over sharing of Mahanadi water, the ministry of water resources led by Union minister Uma Bharti constituted a committee to assess availability and utilisation of water in the river and its tributaries.
Meanwhile, BJP state unit president Basant Panda rubbished the allegations and said that every measure of the NDA government to address public issues is seen as a violation of mode code of conduct by the opposition parties. He said that the move has nothing to do with panchayat elections and is aimed at early resolution to water dispute between Orissa-Chhattisgarh.
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