Rattled by the widespread condemnation of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh’s recent statement on the Mahanadi river issue from all quarters in Odisha , Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said Singh’s statement is condemnable.
Pradhan speaking to reporters said the BJP’s stand on the Mahanadi issue is clear. There would be no compromise on the interests of Odisha. The then Water Resources Minister Sanjiv Baliyan had said in Parliament that Chhattisgarh had committed a mistake. Baliyan’s statement was parroted by the BJD at different times.
However, Pradhan took a potshot at the Odisha Government, which, he said, has not taken a single step for storing the water in the catchment areas of the Mahanadi's downstream. “Since last 18 years, the State Government has not saved a bucket of water in the catchment areas of Mahanadi in Odisha,” he said. The BJD Government in order to hide its ineptness is indulging in melodrama.
Why the Odisha Government is not clarifying the statement it made in the State Assembly that more than 50 per cent of Mahanadi’s water is being drained into the sea. The tribunal formed by the Centre would provide justice to Odisha against Chhattisgarh, he maintained.
In reaction, BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said Dharmendra Pradhan has taken a U-turn contrary to his party's stand.
The BJP’s stand on the issue is not clear. The Prime Minister made a wrong statement about the inter-State river tribunal during his Cuttack visit. Due to the BJD’s padyatra to save the Mahanadi, the BJP is now on the back foot on the issue. Pradesh Congress Committee working president Chiranjib Biswal said that the BJP leaders are making different statements at different places and different times. There is no clarity on the issue. A policy decision on the issue should be made.