BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday urged his party workers to sensitise common people on how the BJP-led Union and Chhattisgarh Governments are working against the interest of Odisha in the matter of Mahanadi river water.
In a first, Patnaik took the name of BJP and made this call at a seminar named ‘Mahanadi Mahasammilani’ held here. MlAs, MPs, leaders of 15 districts, people of which depend on Mahanadi for living, attended the seminar.
“The Chhattisgarh Government and the BJP Government at the Centre are not only obstructing the Mahanadi water inflow into Odisha but also opposing setting up of a tribunal to resolve the issue,” said the BJD supremo.
Patnaik advised workers to go to people and make them know how the BJP Government are acting against interest of Odisha.
He said the State Government has now initiated the ‘Green Mahanadi’ movement under which lakhs of trees will be planted on 16,600 hectares of land on both sides of the Mahanadi.
Speaking on the occasion, BJD Rajya Sabha member Soumya Ranjan Patnaik proposed to quit his post for Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan if he agrees to take up the Mahanadi issue in the Parliament and fight for the State.
“Dharmendra Pradhan must prove that the State is more important to him than his party. I am ready to leave my post for him so that he may fight in the Parliament in the interest of the State,” he said.
It was decided that the party would begin its second phase of the Mahanadi movement soon. A documentary film on reduction in water flow in the Mahanadi and other problems being faced by people was showed. A booklet named ‘Mahanadi Pain Mahasangram’ was released on the occasion. As many as 700 leaders and representatives belonging to various wings attended the meeting.