Ahead of Parliament’s winter session beginning on Friday, the BJD MPs on Thursday met at the Naveen Niwas and decided to raise the issues of Mahanadi, Polavaram and paddy minimum support price (MSP) hike aggressively in the House.
After the Parliamentary Party meeting presided over by BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, MP Kalikesh Singh Deo told reporters, “The party will lodge a protest against the Centre’s apathy towards Odisha.
Though as per law, the Centre is bound to form a tribunal, it is showing undue favours to Chhattisgarh by not constituting a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi row.”
“Besides, we would raise the Polavaram issue and the delay in the work of Khordha-Balangir railway line.
Though the State Government has agreed to pay 50 per cent of total project cost and provided land free of cost, the delay of the Railways to complete the work is unacceptable,” he added.
Singh Deo further said, “The Odisha Government is not allowed by the Centre to pay bonus to farmers, but the Chhattisgarh Government has been allowed to provide bonus to farmers on and above the MSP. We would raise the issue in the Parliament.”
Besides, it was decided to garner support of likeminded parties for various issues concerning the State.