Asserting that the Odisha Government would not allow the Mahanadi to dry out, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday dubbed as "most unfortunate" the statements of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Union Minister of State for Water Resources Sanjeev Balyan on the Mahanadi water issue.
"The statement of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister on Mahanadi water issue on Tuesday is most unfortunate. What is more unfortunate is the false and misleading statement of Balyan, Minister of State, Water Resources, on the floor of Parliament yesterday," Patnaik told reporters here.
On Tuesday, Singh had said his Government would go ahead with the dam projects despite the stiff resistance put up by the Odisha Government and nobody can prevent Chhattisgarh from going ahead with the dam constructions.
Decrying Singh's statement, Patnaik said, "It violates the cardinal doctrine of inter-State river water sharing between co-basin States and our Federal governance."
Meanwhile, the Union Government has convened a joint meeting between Odisha and Chhattisgarh on July 29 to discuss the sharing of Mahanadi water.
In the meantime, the BJD has decided to bring a privilege motion against Balyan in Parliament. Sources said the party would bring the notice in a couple of days against the Minister.
On the other hand, unlike his other party leaders, BJP national secretary and former Odisha BJP president Suresh Pujari criticised the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister for his Tuesday statement and suggested that both Odisha and Chhattisgarh Chief Ministers behave like statesmen instead of politicians on the Mahanadi issue.
"While the Union Water Resources Minister has called a tripartite meeting on July 29, the Chhattisgarh CM should stay away from such statements," said Pujari.