Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik Saturday wrote to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y Jaganmohan Reddy on the issue of Kotia and other inter-state land disputes and claimed that elections conducted by the state in such areas were illegal in nature.
“This is not only against the spirit of the Constitution, but also against the spirit of the federal structure of the country. The activities of Andhra government are going against the spirit of the Supreme Court ruling in 1968 to maintain the status quo. It is a grave constitutional crisis. Andhra Pradesh has violated this status quo which was passed on the basis of the consent of both the states,” he said.
The BJP leader termed the dispute on Kotia as baseless. “Andhra Pradesh government is demanding these areas as part of Andhra’s which is a baseless demand. Kotia Gram Panchayat has always been a part of the history of Odisha. Prior to 1 April 1936, the villages of Kotia Panchayat were part of Jeypore Estate,” he said.
“The allegation is that Andhra Pradesh has taken over some villages under Kotia grama panchayats belonging to Odisha and have renamed them and added them to AP by violating the status quo order of the Supreme Court,” the BJP leader said.
Naik said the recent incidents of intrusions show complete expansionist mindset of the Andhra government. “Andhra and Odisha have a very strong cultural relationship for thousand years. We should carry forward our relationship by not fighting for land. So, I request you again to instruct those above three district administrations to obey the Supreme Court ruling and also respect the spirit of the cooperative federal structure of the nation,” he said.
PNN
