Is Odisha BJP Govt Secretly Negotiating a Settlement with Chhattisgarh on Mahanadi Issue, Questions Naveen; Demands Transparency

Bhubaneswar: BJD President and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik today expressed serious concern over the Odisha BJP Government’s recent moves on the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute.

He demanded full transparency and called for an urgent all-party meeting to clarify the nature of the “mutual agreement” reportedly being explored by the state government with the BJP-led government in Chhattisgarh.

Is the State BJP Government secretly negotiating a settlement with another BJP Govt, potentially to undermine Odisha’s water rights, questioned the Leader of Opposition.

“Crucial Questions on Mahanadi: The People Deserve Answers.. Yesterday, Hon’ble CM Shri Mohan Charan Majhi chaired a high-level meeting on the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute. As per the official press release and a post by the Advocate General, the focus was on resolving the issue through mutual agreement”. But this raises some serious questions that cannot be brushed aside. What is the “mutual agreement” being discussed? Naveen asked.

LoP Naveen said, “Mahanadi is Odisha’s lifeline. The State BJP Government must urgently convene an all-party meeting to explain what kind of compromise is being considered or already decided with the BJP government in Chhattisgarh. Is Odisha withdrawing from the legal route?”

With just eight days remaining until the next Tribunal hearing on August 2, Naveen said the BJP government’s silence has raised alarm bells.

“Why there is a silence? Why hasn’t the government taken stakeholders, political parties, and the people into confidence? Is the State BJP Government secretly negotiating a settlement with another BJP Govt, potentially to undermine Odisha’s water rights?

Mahanadi is not just a river, it’s the soul of our state. There must be full transparency and accountability, Naveen said.

He further said that it was the BJD’s sustained efforts, backed by mass public mobilization that led to the formation of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.

“On January 23, 2018, the Hon’ble Supreme Court directed the Central Government to constitute the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, following the then State Government’s petition under the ISRWD Act, 1956, seeking adjudication of the dispute”, Naveen said.

BJD’s consistent efforts and strong public pressure eventually led the Union Cabinet to approve the formation of the Tribunal.

Subsequently, on March 12, 2018, the Central Government officially constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, headquartered in New Delhi, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order.

However, today, there is growing concern that the legal battle–so painstakingly pursued–is being quietly weakened. The government has not clarified what kind of “mutual compromise” it is now exploring, nor has it taken the people into confidence.

Has the legal route been abandoned? Is Odisha’s rightful claim on Mahanadi water being diluted behind closed doors?

These are questions that demand urgent and transparent answers, Naveen added.